Blood is a Delicate Thing
by Gallyrat
Summary: Rewrite of The Flesh is a Delicate Thing. Team 7 sets out to train under Jiraiya. Orochimaru attempts to finish what he started. Konoha prepares to defend itself at all costs. And an unseen threat lurks in the corner of your eye. Third in the Delicate Things series.
1. Chapter I: Lessons

**Chapter I**

**Lessons**

"_Those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them."_

"You're not focusing," Jiraiya said.

Sakura sat cross-legged under the shade of an old tree, a large scroll spread out in front of her. Jiraiya sat in one of the lower branches of the tree, biting into a candy bar and peering at her work from his vantage point above her head.

Sakura scowled, but resisted the urge to do something childish like stick out her tongue at the old man. Instead she grit her teeth and ducked her head, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and making a long, measured stroke across the paper with one of her pens.

Jiraiya made a "hm" sound and continued to eat his candy bar.

Sakura closed her eyes and counted to five, finally opening her eyes and making another, shorter mark. When no noise came from her mentor she continued, brush gliding across the scroll and slowly filling it with whorls and lines, forming a messy but distinct pattern.

Her mind began to drift, as it often did when she made her own seals. At first she had fought it, struggled to stay focused on the task at hand, but Jiraiya had shown her that the drift was just another way to concentrate, without the thousand and one little things that flitted through her head messing things up.

So this time, Sakura embraced the drifting, allowing her mind to wander aimlessly as she worked to turn the formerly blank scroll into something she could use.

_A seal is composed of three parts – ink, chakra, and blood._

A tiny hitch in her stroke caught her off guard, but she managed to stay calm and correct it with a few deft marks. The chakra would trace a more complicated path now, but it ought to work well enough.

_The chakra gives the seal the intent, the meaning behind it. Blood gives your intent a physical presence. And ink keeps the entire thing from falling apart._

Jiraiya was always talking about beauty in simplicity. A perfect seal would use the minimum number of strokes required for it to do what it needed to do. It kept things easy he claimed.

_At a high enough level, ink becomes irrelevant. A master sealer can keep a seal together with willpower alone, mixing chakra and blood to create a seal on the spot. _

Sakura glanced upwards, and spent a brief moment watching the sunlight trickle through the leaves above her. The land of Plains really was beautiful, even if everyone in it wanted to kill her.

_With clever manipulation of seals, anything you can imagine is possible. _

Sakura made the final stroke and put down her brush with a heavy sigh.

_The last student I taught turned sealing into a weapon unmatched by any other._

She steadied herself with a deep breath and placed two fingers in the center of the seal, pushing her light red chakra into the patterns and bringing them to life with an invisible fire.

_Let's see if you can surpass him._

There was a flash of light and Sakura slumped back into the trunk of the tree, exhausted. She rubbed at her eyes and pushed herself into a standing position, trying to work out the kinks in her muscles. "Well," she said, looking up at Jiraiya. "I'm done. You can tear it to pieces now."

Her sensei dropped to the ground in perfect silence, bending down and grabbing the scroll. He began twisting it around, pushing it places, prodding it and muttering to himself as he examined its inner workings.

"Actually," he said after a few minutes of fiddling, "I kinda like this one."

Sakura's head whipped around, her mouth hanging slightly open. "Really?" She asked. "You do?"

"Sure," Jiraiya said with a shrug. "It's not a simplistic as it could be, and you made some confusing choices in dealing with this part right here," he said, finger circling the area of the scroll that dealt with recognition of specific chakra patterns, "but there are some parts I like a lot. Like your use of spirals."

Sakura nodded. "You said last time that spirals were pretty much the perfect shape for sealing."

"Well, yeah," Jiraiya said. "Chakra naturally travels in a spiral, so it flows easily through a spiraled seal. But I'm talking about the way you spiraled the seal itself." He held up the scroll so that Sakura could see the way her patterns spiraled inwards onto the center point."

"It made sense in my head," Sakura said. "Like, this bridge right _here_ takes it to this point _here_, right? So then once it gets recognized I can bypass the part that-"

Jiraiya held up a hand. "I know what it does," he said with a small smile. "The point is, I haven't taught you this yet. It's hard to arrange seals like this, what with all the bridges and the looping back. Two months of practice should not have prepared you for this kind of work."

Sakura turned away to hide the growing smile, rooting through her pack for a hairbrush.

"I mean, this is pretty awesome," Jiraiya continued. "Your understanding of this structure puts you way past where I originally pegged you. In fact…" he trailed off, and when Sakura looked back up at him he was staring off into the distance, over where Sakura knew Sasuke and Naruto were training.

"In fact," he said, "maybe you can help me with a question I've had for a while now."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, so the problem is power," Sasuke said as Naruto tossed the rubber ball up and down.

"Yeah!" Naruto said. "I can get the rotation down, even in all the different directions. But when I try to boost the power I lose control of that and everything just sorta fizzes out." He flailed his arms uselessly. "This would be so much easier if I could just use a Shadow Clone to handle the different directions for me."

Sasuke shook his head. "No cheating. You're not always going to be able to use a Shadow Clone. If this technique is supposed to be your go-to for close combat, you need to be able to use it at a moments notice. And that means no Shadow Clones."

Naruto scowled. "God damn, you are such a hard ass."

"Jiraiya put me in charge of your training, and I'm taking this seriously. Plus your taijutsu is pretty damn awful, and you need all the help you can get."

Naruto shot Sasuke the bird, but placed the rubber ball back in his right palm and held it up at about eye level. The ball began to twist and rock as the blonde sent his chakra spiraling through it, stretching out in multiple directions simultaneously.

With a grunt of effort, Naruto began pushing more chakra into the little ball. As soon as he did so he began to feel his control slip away – but instead of fighting to retain it, he exhaled and simply focused on swirling it more.

The squirming and twisting became more pronounced, and Naruto let out a yelp of joy as a small tear appeared in the rubber. The outburst caused him to loose control of the Rasengan, but he didn't even care – he let out a giddy little cackle and began jumping up and down.

Sasuke scowled. "It's just a rip."

"It's progress!" Naruto said. "This deserves a ramen break."

Sasuke threw up his hands. "Fine. Have the ramen if you want to. But don't expect me to start another fire for you, that's not what the jutsu are meant for."

Naruto stuck his lower lip out and let it quiver a little in protest, but Sasuke was unaffected. "Fine, I'll make my own fire," the blonde said, scowling and pouring the contents of his canteen into a small bowl. "Now where did I put the ramen? Ramen ramen ramen ramen…"

A movement in the corner of his eye distracted him from his search, and he looked up to see Sakura and Jiraiya approaching the clearing he and Sasuke were training in.

"Sakura!" Naruto said, raising his hand in greeting. "I made a rip in the rubber ball!"

Sakura smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Jiraiya turned to Sasuke and gave the Uchiha a questioning look.

Sasuke shrugged. "He's making progress."

"And what about you?" Jiraiya asked.

Sasuke _tsk_ed and stood, pressing his hands together in a long string of seals. Lightning chakra gathered around his right hand and he shot forwards at nearly impossible speeds. When the dust cleared, Sasuke had his fist through half a tree and was breathing heavily.

Jiraiya nodded. "You're doing better, but you still don't have the refinement down yet. You can copy the hand seals all you want, but until you get the chakra manipulation down, you'll be using a second rate version. Just focus on the piercing aspect."

Sasuke nodded and sat back down.

"Still doing better than Naruto though," Jiraiya said, causing the Uchiha to chuckle.

"Hey!" Naruto said, shoving the ripped rubber ball into his sensei's face. "Progress."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever kid," Jiraiya said with a good-natured smile. "Now take your shirt off. I want to have my favorite student take a look at your seal."

"Oh come on, she's only your favorite because she has tits!" Naruto protested, unzipping his jacket and shedding it along with his undershirt. "And she doesn't even really have those!"

Jiraiya smacked his own face in exasperation as Sakura landed a pile-driver blow on Naruto's face, the force of the punch lifting him up off his feet and dumping him splayed out on the ground.

"I deserved that," the blonde muttered, groaning and rubbing his face. "Sorry Sakura."

Sakura made a small _hm_ sound and bent down, prodding Naruto's stomach with more force than was strictly necessary. "Forgiven. As long as you start molding some chakra."

Naruto complied, pressing his hands together and focusing on swirling the chakra around his belly. He saw the dark lines of ink begin to appear on his skin, Sakura watching them intently as they linked together and formed the seal Naruto was now so familiar with.

"So you can see the spiral pattern here," Jiraiya explained to Sakura, pointing at Naruto's belly. "The seal really goes much deeper than this, what you're seeing now is a condensed version, but if you go through it you can see the spiral pattern repeated along multiple levels."

Sakura nodded as Jiraiya spoke, occasionally sending small bursts of chakra into Naruto's system – the foreign chakra tickled and left him feeling slightly giddy.

"The problem is," Jiraiya said, a frown stretching across his face, "that I've noticed an unusual amount of Kyuubi chakra leaking through recently. The seal was designed to pull chakra from the beast and mix it with Naruto's own, but it seems to me there's too much going through."

"Do you know how that could be happening?" Sakura asked.

"I have a few theories," Jiraiya said. "Naruto's been calling on the Fox a lot recently, so the seal's been weakening because of that. There seem to have been a few massive spikes all within a few months of each other, which is pushing open the floodgates, so to speak."

"But that doesn't make sense," Sakura said. Her eyebrows knitted together and she leaned in closer, staring intently at the spot just above Naruto's navel. "You told me that the seal was designed to pull only a specific amount of chakra from the Fox. Even if the gates are opening, that shouldn't change. Either Naruto's calling on the chakra, or the Fox is pushing it through."

"That's…right." Jiraiya said, giving Naruto a look. "Have you?"

"I haven't!" Naruto said, holding his hands up in defense. "You told me not to unless absolutely necessary, and we haven't exactly been doing anything interesting, so…" He shrugged.

"Then the Fox is pushing it through for some reason," Jiraiya said, rubbing at his chin. "But why would it do that?"

"Chakra carries an imprint of the its sources personality, right?" Sakura asked. "So the more Fox chakra in Naruto's system, the more the Fox can assert dominance over Naruto's psyche."

Jiraiya nodded. "Right, right. But the gates aren't open enough to allow any real manipulation. Why would the fox give up his chakra if it isn't going to have an effect…" He paused. "I don't know why, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Alright Naruto, you're done." The white haired sanin stood and rubbed his hands together before turning to Sasuke. "You're up."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but took his shirt off without complaint and turned so that Jiraiya could see the side of his neck branded with the cursed seal. There was another seal placed just outside of it, a circle of scribbles held together with a liberal number of squares and spirals.

"This cursed seal really is amazing," Jiraiya said as he began to mess with the barrier seal surrounding Orochimaru's mark. "Did I tell you all that I actually see a lot of my own work in some of the fundamentals? The bastard had the gall to steal my notes and use them to create…this." He gestured at the seal.

"You're always talking about how incredible that seal is," Naruto said, standing and "forgetting" to put his shirt on in case Sakura wanted to sneak a look at his abs. "What makes it so great?"

"This thing," Jiraiya said, not looking up from the seal, "has more depth than any seal I've ever seen before. It must serve twenty different functions, not all of which I've found yet." He leaned in closer to Sakura and pointed out a particular spot. "This here is what he stole from me. When I was younger I slapped together a few theories involving seal based regulation of nature chakra. It never got past the ideas stage, but it looks like Orochimaru managed to take that and make some headway. It isn't perfect, and from what I've discovered, at the advanced stage you actually undergo a bit of physical transformation because of the nature chakra, but damn, this is good work."

He pointed out another section. "And look here. It's vague, but you can see the basis for a seal that would allow the user to transfer his consciousness through the seal. It's an idea that's theoretically possible with the right seal and enough chakra, but it's never been achieved. This must've been one of Orochimaru's first attempts at immortality."

Jiraiya sighed and reluctantly handed Sasuke back his shirt. "I wish I could get a better look at it. I have so many questions – how does it regulate nature chakra, how does it transfer from stage one to stage two…but we'll get to them eventually I guess. This is a good start."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba sat in his hospital bed, listening to the rhythmic beeping of the equipment surrounding him. He had tried to explain to the hospital staff that he was fine, that there was nothing to worry about and the only thing wrong with him was hunger, exhaustion, and a few minor wounds, but they had insisted on sticking him in the bed anyway.

Two months ago, he had gotten incredible lucky and managed to be the first known person to escape from Yomi, a prison in the Waterfall village. Koyaiba had spent the last two months travelling from Waterfall to the Leaf, dodging Waterfall patrols all along the way. Injuries, among other things, had slowed him down, and he had only arrived back home a few weeks ago – to a family and village who thought him dead. Koyaiba had quickly learned of the events that had transpired in the two months between his escape and his return home.

Shortly after his escape, Waterfall had officially severed ties the Leaf village. It had rejected its status as an ally of the Leaf and had instead joined with several other minor villages – Snow, Grass, and Rain – under the banner of Akatsuki.

Up until that point, Waterfall had existed as a "satellite village" to the much larger Leaf. In exchange for protection and financial aid, Waterfall had provided intelligence, supplies, and of course, hostages in the form of "student exchange programs". But now that had all changed.

Akatsuki, known by their headbands with a scratch through them instead of the traditional symbol, had expanded rapidly, swallowing up many of the ninja-less countries surrounding Rain, Grass, and Waterfall. Snow remained isolated in its position North of the Lightning Country, but from what Koyaiba had heard there was a mass exodus underway – Snow civilians were being loaded up on boats and shipped to the Waterfall village.

Though hostilities had not yet been officially declared, the mood in Leaf seemed to be that it would not be long before they were embroiled in another war. Akatsuki had been openly hostile towards Leaf, carrying out several small raids on the border of the two countries. It seemed obvious to everyone that the newfound country would not stop until it had crushed or at least thoroughly humiliated the Leaf.

Koyaiba was snapped back to reality by the sound of the door opening and closing. He turned, expecting to see another doctor or nurse, but instead found himself face to face with Hyuga Hiashi, the fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf.

"H-Hokage-sama," Koyaiba said, instinctively ducking his head. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon." He and the Hokage had met not a few days prior, discussing Koyaiba's escape of Yomi and what he had learned while in Waterfall.

Hiashi simply nodded, turning to examine the machinery surrounding the Chunin. "You seem fine," he said after a moment. "Get up. Walk with me."

Koyaiba nodded, throwing the covers off himself and swinging his feet out of the bed. The tile floor was cold to his bare feet, and his muscles ached after such a long stretch of inactivity, but it felt nice to be moving again. He followed the Hokage down the hall, neither of them speaking until the Hokage led him outside.

"What you learned in Waterfall was useful," the Hokage said, staring out across the rooftops of Konoha. "It helped the scientists in project Blessed Seal understand some of the aspects of the Cursed Seal."

Koyaiba nodded. While in Yomi, he had met with the last true survivor of the Uzumaki clan – the same man who had helped Orochimaru create the Cursed Seal. The Uzumaki had told him that the seal regulated its massive amounts of chakra through an imprint of Orochimaru's personality hidden within the seal, which apparently somehow helped Leaf in attempting to create their own version of the technique.

"I'm glad I could help," Koyaiba said.

The Hokage quickly jumped to the next topic. "The situation with Akatsuki is worsening," he said. "They're calling for a Kage summit in the Land of Iron. I believe they seek the title of Kage for their mysterious leader."

"Do you think that would satisfy them?" Koyaiba asked. "Would they stop attacking us?"

"It wouldn't," the Hokage said. "I don't know why they've targeted us. Snow, Grass, and Rain were all satellite villages as well, and all were treated much worse by their bosses than Waterfall was treated by us. But Akatsuki seems intent on attacking us specifically."

The Hokage sighed. "I myself will not be attending the summit. I doubt any of the true Kage will – they will send representatives in their places. It is simply too turbulent a time to step outside the safety of the village. I will be sending Danzo in my stead. I want you to accompany him."

Koyaiba blinked. "You…you do?"

"Yes. I do. You've proven that you're observant, capable, and able to follow orders. I trust you to assist Danzo with the negotiations."

"Y…yes sir. I'd be honored, sir."

The Hokage nodded. "Good. Danzo will be taking two bodyguards, assigned by me, and most likely a genin team to serve whatever purpose he may find for them. The summit is not for a few weeks. I'll have someone fill you in before you leave."

Koyaiba bowed.

"And also," the Hokage added, almost as an afterthought, "try not to die."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The coins spilled from the slot machine like a dam had burst, sending shining gold and silver coins tumbling into the bucket below. Tsunade watched as they quickly filled the bucket and promptly cut off, leaving her with a small fortune in change sitting at her feet.

"Ah! You won, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said from over the old sanin's shoulder. Dan's niece, Tsunade's apprentice, was clutching Ton-Ton the pig close to her chest. "Maybe now you can start making a dent in those debts you owe?"

"I don't like this," Tsunade said, ignoring Shizune's suggestion.

"What, winning? You don't like winning? Because just last night you were a huge fan of winning. You spent several hours ranting to whatever God exists to give you a bit of luck."

Tsunade ignored her apprentice's tone. "I'm just worried, all right? We need to leave."

"Tsunade-sama, don't be ridiculous…" Shizune protested. Tsunade didn't listen, simply stood and strode past the dark haired girl. She pushed open the doors to the casino, eyes flicking back and forth as she searched for what it was that was making her so uneasy.

The street outside however, was deserted. It was late at night and most civilians were in bed.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, coming up from behind. She had put Ton-Ton on the ground now, letting the pig trot along while she carried the bucket full of coins. "Tsunade-sama, should we go back to the hotel?"

Tsunade took a deep breath in an only halfway successful attempt to calm herself. "The hotel. Yes. We should go there. We'll leave first thing in the morning." She pulled her green cloak tighter around herself and shivered slightly, leading Shizune down the street back towards their dinghy hotel.

"I would be careful if I were you," came a elegant, almost feminine drawl from somewhere in the shadows to Tsunade's left.

The sanin and her apprentice stopped dead in their tracks. Though both recognized the voice, neither wanted to believe that it was really him.

Orochimaru.

The snake sanin stepped from his hiding spot as if he had simply materialized from the shadows, a sardonic smile on his face. His long hair was pulled into a utilitarian ponytail, and he wore a light purple and grey cloak draped around his shoulders. Small, golden hoop earrings hung from his ears.

"It's been too long Tsunade-chan," Orochimaru said, his face splitting into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We really must catch up more. I feel like we're drifting apart."

"What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, resisting the urge to take a step backwards. Orochimaru would know if she was unnerved. She had to stay calm, in control.

"I just thought I'd drop by and say hello," Orochimaru said with a shrug. "Hi, how are you doing, how's Shizune, I see she's gotten much taller since the last time we chatted. How are things with me? So kind of you to ask. I've been well, travelled around, trained an apprentice or two. I started that village you know, the one I mentioned last time? Sent the first genin team to the Chunin exams just a few months back, I'm so proud of them. Oh, and I finally killed Sarutobi-sensei."

Tsunade's eyes widened.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Yes, yes, the surprise, the shock, I know, it's heartbreaking. You always did think the old man was invincible Tsunade. You never realized that even gods could die."

"Fuck you," Tsunade said quietly.

"You wound me," Orochimaru said, placing his hand over his heart with a mocking smile. "Is that any way to address the student that has finally surpassed the master?"

"I don't know what you want," Tsunade said, "but you won't find it here. You've had your chance to gloat, now leave."

"Well I would…" Orochimaru said, "except that the reason I'm here is you, Tsunade." He smirked. "You see, a few brats managed to kill my medic, someone I had spent quite a bit of time and energy on. I figured that while I was searching for a suitable replacement, I might as well go for the best."

"You actually think…"

"If you don't come with me, I'll kill you," Orochimaru said simply. "You and your apprentice and even that filthy pig." He took a step forward, meeting Tsunade's gaze with his own. "You try to hide yourself behind that cold, 'I don't care anymore' exterior Tsunade, but the truth is your just another lost little sheep waiting for the right chance to go back to the Leaf. And I can't let that happen."

"I am not," Tsunade growled, "going back to the Leaf. And I am not going with you."

Orochimaru shrugged. "Very well. Fourteen, kill them both."

A mountain of a man clad in white and brown samurai armor fell from the sky at Orochimaru's words. His face was covered with a flat mask, with the number 14 scratched into it for all to see.

Tsunade sprung back, her reflexes kicking in instinctively. Fourteen let out a bestial roar and charged her, moving impossibly fast. He launched a flurry of punches at her that she only barely managed to dodge, and finally managed to hit her hard across the face.

The blow sent Tsunade's world spinning as she fell to the ground, desperately rolling out of the way of a finishing blow. Fourteen roared again, but was distracted by Shizune landing on his shoulders and swinging out with two thin, long knives.

Fourteen managed to throw Shizune off him, but not before Tsunade had gotten to her feet. She gathered chakra in her fist and felt familiar warmth before punching at Fourteen, releasing the chakra at the instant of impact.

There was an enormous boom, kicking dust and debris everywhere. Tsunade smirked, but when she tried to pull her hand back she found it locked in Fourteen's grip.

Tsunade's eyes widened. The dust cleared, and Fourteen was revealed to still be standing, gripping Tsunade's hand with his own. He roared and tightened his grip, and Tsunade cried out in pain as she felt her hand breaking.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shouted. She charged the space between Tsunade and Fourteen, dropping to her knees and sliding under their arms. Her knife flashed upwards, and Fourteen let out a bellow of pain before pulling his arm back.

Tsunade started forwards, but Shizune caught her shoulder. "Don't bother. I coated the blade with White Orchid extract. He's done for."

Tsunade stopped, breathing heavily as Fourteen collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily and gripping his injured arm. She couldn't even see any blood – Shizune must've just barely nicked him. But it had been enough. "Good job," Tsunade said finally. "Now let's find Orochimaru and make that bastard-"

She didn't get any further than that because she was distracted by Fourteen ripping his own arm off.

The armored man had simply grabbed his own wrist and _pulled_ until his arm separated from his shoulder, blood bursting from the wound and covering the ground around him.

_Blood._

_So much blood._

Tsunade felt herself freeze, the all too familiar shakes returning, and she found herself unable to look away from the blood. She was only vaguely aware of Fourteen drawing a dull sickle from somewhere in his armor and stumbling towards her.

With a burst of speed, Shizune put herself between her master and the armored man, her knives raised defiantly.

Fourteen didn't give her a chance to get another shot in. Kikaichu bugs swarmed Tsunade's raven haired apprentice, bursting from his neck and going for her face. Shizune shouted in surprise and stumbled back.

Time seemed to slow down.

Fourteen swung his kama up in a high arc, cutting Shizune from her left hip to her right shoulder. The young medic fell, twisting as she did so, and her knives slipping free of her grasp and hitting the ground a half a moment before her dead body recoiled as blood – Shizune's blood – sprayed out like a waterfall of crimson.

And as Tsunade stood there, paralyzed, trembling, covered in her dead apprentice's blood, something _snapped_.

Suddenly, it didn't seem to matter that she was covered in blood – it didn't matter that she was terrified, it didn't matter that the last time she had been like this was when Dan had died. None of it mattered to her. Nothing mattered except Shizune's lifeless corpse and the beast in front of her.

She charged.

Fourteen roared and swung his kama wildly, but Tsunade ducked under the clumsy slash and hit him hard in the stomach. The force of the impact through the man back, and he hit the ground hard before skidding to a stop twenty feet away.

The world around Tsunade blurred as she _shunshined_, chakra pumping through every nerve and muscle in her body. Fourteen had only managed to push himself shakily to his knees before she was on him, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him so hard into a nearby building that the foundations shook.

Fourteen scrambled to his feet, Kikaichu swarming around him in preparation for another attack, but Tsunade was ready for that. She pressed her hands together in a swift string of seals and let loose with a Fire Release Jutsu, one Jiraiya had taught her during the last war. The heat force the bugs to retreat back inside Fourteen's body, so the armored man held up his remaining arm and let loose with a series of blast releases, filling the air around Tsunade with explosions.

A heartbeat later Tsunade was on him, and this time she didn't bother pushing him back. She hammered him up against the wall, hitting him again and again with chakra laced punches – she barely even noticed when the wall behind Fourteen gave out.

She raised her hand for another blow when something wet and slimy caught her around the wrist – she looked back in shock to see Orochimaru using his tongue as a makeshift chain. Another Orochimaru appeared in a cloud of smoke in front of her, next to the dying Fourteen, and regarded her with a cool stare.

"Normally I would let this little duel play out, but I can't afford to lose my newest pet and you seem to be hell bent on making sure I do."

Tsunade lashed out with a kick, but Orochimaru blocked it before hauling Fourteen to his feet and making a few quick one handed seals. "Yes, it was nice seeing you too. Send my love to…whoever you have left."

And then, with a puff of smoke, he vanished.

Tsunade exhaled slowly. The adrenaline started to fade from her system, leaving her a jittery, exhausted mess. The only things to do now…were bury Shizune, and try to gather together the remaining pieces of her shattered life.

And then, she would make Orochimaru _scream._

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Yup


	2. Chapter II: Leadership

((At the bottom is a somewhat important AN))

**Chapter II**

**Leadership**

"_Example is leadership."_

Sakura quieted her breathing and pressed herself against the underbrush, careful not to jostle any of the leaves or branches that scattered the forest floor around her. Naruto and Sasuke were nowhere to be seen – they had separated when it first became apparent that Akatsuki had found their campsite.

Sakura peered out through the underbrush, straining her eyes in the evening light. There were three ninja, all with the scratched headbands of Akatsuki. They were poking around the campsite – going through backpacks, examining scrolls, and eating the food they could find.

"Find anything?" One ninja asked. He was tall and lanky, with long, thin chains wrapped up and down his arms. His red hair was long and greasy, and he wore a scratched through Grass headband on his forehead.

"Nothing good," another one answered. He was of average height, average build. He wore camouflage pants, a Chunin vest, and a scratch Grass headband around his waist. "A few sealing scrolls." He tossed a bright blue scroll to the their member of their party, a tan, blond girl with short hair.

Sakura grit her teeth. That scroll held _her_ stuff.

Jiraiya had left three days earlier to meet a contact – a farmer who lived on the border between the Fire Country and the recently created Dawn Country, home of Akatsuki. He had told Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke to stay put and work on what he had been teaching them until he had returned, but he hadn't told them what to do if enemy ninja had stumbled on their campsite while they were catching dinner.

Luckily, the Akatsuki ninja hadn't seen them approaching, so Team Seven did have a small advantage. Not so luckily, they had split up in a moment of panic and now really had no way of communicating without alerting Akatsuki.

But Sakura knew that if she just waited long enough, a certain someone would get tired of just sitting around.

To be honest, Naruto lasted longer than she had expected. She was forced to endure twenty minutes of silent breathing and watching enemy ninja root through her personal belongings before a rain of orange and yellow fell from the trees above.

"THAT'S MY RAMEN!" The clones roared, landing on the ground and springing towards the surprised and terrified Akatsuki ninja. The tall redhead barely had time to drop the stolen cup of ramen before being swarmed by half of the clones.

Sakura put her hands together in a simple transformation technique, and then burst from the underbrush looking like just another Shadow Clone. Smoke filled the air around their campsite – now that the Akatsuki ninja were recovering from the initial ambush they were beginning to fight back, destroying the Shadow Clones with little effort.

Sakura sprinted at the redhead, who had partially unwound the chains surrounding his arms and was whipping them through the air – two tiny cyclones of metal and smoke. The Clones were having a hard time getting close to him, as even a relatively light nick from the blades at the end would send them up in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura's hands flew through a series of strings as she ran towards the redhead – not expecting her to be any different from the other clones; he looked straight at her and met her eyes.

Sakura smirked, and the eye contact became the starter component that allowed her to establish a connection between her chakra flow and the enemy ninja's. Her hands made the final seal, and suddenly the redhead was stumbling awkwardly, forced to fight off an unexpected wave of nausea.

The genjutsu wouldn't last long, but Sakura didn't need it to. She and three remaining clones swarmed the redhead while he was struggling for balance, a flurry of kicks and punches battering him to the ground. Despite some extra training under Jiraiya Sakura's taijutsu was still sub-par at best, but backed by three clones she was more than enough for a dizzy Genin. She drew a kunai from the weapons pouch on her leg, preparing to finish the Akatsuki while he was down, but before she got a chance she was picked up off her feet by a wind jutsu and thrown back into the underbrush.

"What the hell?" She muttered, picking herself up and looking back towards the campsite.

The clearing where their campsite had once stood was now nearly completely empty, everything blown away by the violent wind that had engulfed the area. The Akatsuki Chunin stood in the center of the maelstrom, his hands clasped together in the Rat seal, his mouth open, and his eyes leaking tears.

The other Akatsuki Genin, the tan blonde one, was dead. Her body was pinned against a tree with a katana through her chest, her feet dangling uselessly about half a foot off the ground. Sasuke's work – Naruto didn't like bladed weapons beyond the basic kunai.

It was then Sakura realized that both her teammates were also in the clearing. Chakra surrounded their feet, anchoring them in place, but the wind was stopping them from moving or even opening their eyes. The Akatsuki Chunin couldn't keep the wind up forever, but at this rate when he dropped the attack Naruto and Sasuke would be too disorientated to properly defend themselves.. And she would be too far away.

Sakura took a deep breath and threw a shuriken into the wind, watching it whip around several times before flying off in a random direction.

_Wind speeds…about 200 miles per hour. Moving in a circle, east to west from where I'm facing._

Sakura drew another shuriken from her pouch, twirling it on her finger as her mind raced.

_Target is roughly fifty feet away. So angle…force and…_

She drew her arm back and let fly with the shuriken – but an instant before release, a chain whipped into her forearm from somewhere behind her. She let out a cry of pain and watched the shuriken tumble through the air while simultaneously turning to face her attacker.

The shuriken hit the wall of wind and circled the clearing once, twice…then, caught in a gust, flew straight for the Akatsuki Chunin and buried itself in his thigh.

Well, she had been aiming for his head, but good enough.

Sakura felt the wind die down as she focused her full attention on her attacker. She was so _stupid_, how could she have forgotten the redhead like that?

He was standing a few feet away from her, chains whirling above his head, his face set into a snarl. "You killed Asha!" He roared, both chains flashing almost faster than Sakura could follow. She dodged one, but the other wrapped around her forearm when she tried to block it. The redhead pulled her close and hit her hard across the face – a thousand tiny fireflies danced in front of her vision before she managed to pull herself back together.

The redhead tried to hit her with his other chain but she whipped her arm up, using the chain she was bound with to stop his attack. She then pulled her bound arm back violently, sending him stumbling towards her, and kicked him hard in the groin.

The redhead exhaled in a silent scream, but managed to keep his feet, so Sakura wound the chain she was bound with around his other wrist. She then half jumped, half rolled over his back, wrapping the same chain around his neck as she did so. When she was back on her feet she bent down and pulled as if trying to throw him over her head. The redhead's chest went out, his head went back, and his caught wrist was dragged up to his ear, preventing him from forming hand seals. Sakura could feel his fingers scrabbling at the chain as it began to cut off his airflow, so she pulled harder and was rewarded for her efforts with a strangled gasp of pain.

Sakura took a deep breath and pulled more as the redhead's free elbow began to slam into her side in a desperate last-ditch attempt to break free of her chokehold. She could feel his blows weakening, but even after they stopped completely she held on – she didn't release the choke until a good minute later.

When she finally lowered the redhead's still form to the ground, he was black in the face and quite dead. Blood flowed freely from his neck, where the chains had bitten into the soft skin. The tips of his fingers were bloody as well – he had rubbed them raw trying to get them between the chain and his throat.

As Sakura untangled herself from the chains she got her first good look at them. They were old and thin, but incredibly strong, with some very nice workmanship. The ends were bladed, and upon closer inspection Sakura found that the blades could actually be bent to form rudimentary hooks. Definitely prizes worth keeping.

She pulled a small, rust colored scroll from her weapons pouch and unrolled just a bit of it – just enough so she could see the first Gate. Gates were points in seals where things could be put in or taken out – how much mass it could carry depending on how large the gate was. She sealed the chains within the first gate and quickly tucked the scroll back into her pouch.

Now to check on Naruto and Sasuke…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

There was a short grunt of pain. And then the wind stopped, and Sasuke could see again.

Their campsite was gone, blown in a thousand different directions by the Chunin's wind release. Sasuke and Naruto stood side by side in a now empty clearing, facing the Chunin, who was busy digging a shuriken out of his leg. Neither Sakura nor the ninja she had been fighting were anywhere to be seen.

"You killed her…" the Chunin gasped, bringing his hands together. "You killed Asha…"

"See Sasuke," Naruto said, gritting his teeth and pressing his own hands together in the familiar Shadow Clone seal, "this is why we don't kill people's girlfriends and stick them to trees."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Sasuke said, drawing a shuriken, a kunai, and some wire from his weapons pouch.

"Hey, listen!" Naruto shouted to the Chunin. "My friend is _so_ sorry for killing your teammate but she _did_ come after him and if you just put your hands down maybe we can work this-"

He compromise was interrupted by four balls of heavily condensed air, which the Chunin had shot out of his mouth at breakneck speeds. "Oh shit!" Naruto shouted, and several Shadow Clones appeared in a line in front of him.

The Shadow Clones took the hits for him, dispersing into clouds of smoke that temporarily obscured the Chunin's vision. Sasuke didn't waste time - he threw the shuriken and the kunai, sticking them to the tree behind the Chunin.

"Don't think I can't see what you're doing!" The Chunin shouted, pressing his hands together again. Sasuke grimaced and grabbed one of the wires with his teeth, pressing his hands together.

_Snake Dragon Rabbit __**Tiger**_.

Fire burst from his mouth and shot along the wire, hitting the Chunin full in the face. It was a pointless endeavor, as by the time the fire reached him, the Chunin had already swapped himself out with a log, but it did serve to distract him for the few crucial seconds Naruto needed for an aerial attack.

Three of the orange-clad Genin landed in a triangle around the Chunin, screaming as they charged him. The Chunin ducked under one punch and blocked a kick, ducking low to the ground and delivering a brutal roundhouse to the side of one of the Narutos' faces. The clone vanished in a puff of smoke.

The Chunin jabbed out at another Naruto, but this one had already begun to gather a Rasengan in his palm. Yellow light swirled as the stage two Rasengan met the Chunin's fist – while it was too weak to do any real damage, the violent spinning threw the Chunin off balance.

Sasuke leapt in with a kick, trying to use the momentary distraction to his advantage, but the Chunin managed to get an arm up and ward off the attack. He fell into a roll, putting a bit of distance between himself and the Genin, and flew through a quick series of hand seals.

Five wind clones materialized in a circle around the three ninja, immediately rushing towards Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke threw himself out of the way, his Sharingan allowing him to slip by unharmed, but Naruto wasn't as lucky. He groaned in pain as one of the wind clones rushed through him, leaving several long, shallow cuts across his body.

Naruto cursed and threw a kunai at the nearest wind clone, which passed through the construct harmlessly.

"Use chakra to disperse them," Sasuke told him, leaping towards one and channeling chakra to and then out of his fist as he punched through it. Normally this would be a complete waste of chakra, but it was enough to disrupt the fragile network of wind chakra that kept the clone in existence. Wind clones were fast and immune to conventional attacks, but they were also stupid and easily destroyed when chakra was put into the mix.

Naruto followed Sasuke's example, charging another wind clone and dispersing it with a wild burst of chakra. Sasuke grabbed a kunai and hurled it at the real Chunin, who was using the distraction the wind clones provided to catch his breath.

The Chunin deflected the kunai with one of his own, but it was clear he was tiring. "Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, dodging another wind clone's charge. "Final push!"

The blonde grinned and made a seal, and suddenly there were another dozen clones on the battlefield. Half of them attacked the remaining wind clones, while the other half took the fight to the Chunin.

The Chunin blocked or dodged the first volley of blows, but he was too slow to survive the second unscathed. A brutal kick clipped his temple and he fell to the ground with a cry, desperately trying to push himself to his feet until the remaining clones mobbed him.

"I got him!" One Naruto shouted, leaping into the air and pumping his fist excitedly. "I got him!"

"Tie him up," Sakura said, emerging from the forest. She had a few nasty bruises, but seemed otherwise unhurt. "Knock him out. When he wakes up we'll interrogate him and see what he knows."

Sasuke and the Narutos nodded, and one Naruto grabbed the back of the Chunin's head and hit it against the ground a few times before giving a satisfied nod and helping the rest of the clones tie the Chunin up.

"Either of you hurt?" Sakura asked, running a hand through her hair. It was beginning to grow long again – Sasuke figured she would cut it again soon.

"I'm alright," Sasuke said. "Naruto has a few cuts but nothing he can't sleep off."

Naruto nodded in agreement, he and his clones striking up a small whistle as they picked up the Chunin and hauled him over to a tree. "I'm gonna take her down," Naruto said, nodding over to the Akatsuki girl Sasuke had impaled when the fight had begun. "He shouldn't see that when he wakes up. And she deserves more than…that."

Sakura shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Sasuke and I will dig our supplies out of the woods and set up camp. Again."

"You know what?" Sasuke said, marching off towards the forest. "Just…fuck these guys."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Let her out."

The cloaked man nodded, removing a heavy silver staff from his back. It was an old, worn staff; completely straight except for two large metal juts at the end that gave it the appearance of a large key.

The cloaked man tapped the staff against the metal door, which lit up with a hundred different seals. Chakra flashed through the seals faster than the eye could follow in a hellishly complex dance that no mere human could hope to keep pace with – the only way to open the door was through the key.

The metal doors slid open, and the dozen assembled shinobi, once Waterfall, now Akatsuki, held their breaths. They were the best and brightest Waterfall had to offer, Jonin of the highest caliber. Some had been raised in the Leaf, working as double agents until Akatsuki had officially come together. Others were carriers of secret techniques known only by their clan. One even had a special bloodline limit that allowed him to absorb chakra through one hand and immediately redirect it through the other.

And if the occupant of Cell Two decided she wasn't going to be cooperative today, then it would take every single one of them to take her down.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Fu sat in her cell and tried her best to tune out its voice.

_CutSlashChopBurnStabBreakKil l_

Some days, the thing's incessant whispering was worse than others. Today it was particularly bad. She had had a restless night, and it was taking advantage of that to try to drive her up the fucking wall.

_KillBreakChopSlashCutStabBur n_

She did what she had been taught – closed her eyes, steadied her breathing, focused on something else. The whispering lessened somewhat, but she could tell that this wasn't going to be one of the good days, where she would be able to sit and think without hearing it whisper to her. At best she might be able to ignore it, to push it away until it was nothing but background noise.

_KillThemAllKillThemAllKillTh emAllKillThemAllKillThemAllK illThemAllKillThemAll_

Fu shook her head. It was just excited because she was getting let out today. Any minute now, actually, if her sleep schedule hadn't deviated too much. A month in solitary confinement could screw with your sense of time, but Fu was reasonably confident she knew exactly what time it was.

As if on cue there was a loud, heavy tap on the door.

Fu smirked and practically leapt to he feet, her hands quivering with nervous energy. Fuck this – a month in a fifteen by fifteen room was complete and utter hell. In a minute she would be breathing fresh air and-

_KillingLettingBloodFlowAcros sTheFloor_

Running. She would be able to run again.

The door began to slide open, and Fu was forced to cover her eyes to shield them from the light. She could see maybe a dozen and a half shadowy figures just outside the room, waiting for her – at least two thirds of them were ninja. They really weren't taking any chances this time.

The doors eventually opened completely, and one of the assembled men spoke.

"Hello Fu."

It was Gokuri, one of the village elders. He was the older of the council, with hair that had turned gray long ago, but he was a powerful ninja nonetheless.

Fu gave him a quick salute. "Gokuri-sensei."

"I trust you won't be too much trouble today," Gokuri said. The ninja around him still hadn't relaxed – Fu could sense their tension, like a palpable force pressing against her.

"I won't, sensei," she said with a small nod. All she wanted to do was run – run, jump, leap, spin, burn off-

_TheirClothesTheirFacesTheirS kinTheirEyesTheirMusclesThei rBonesTheirHearts_

Some excess energy. That would be nice. But instead she forced herself to keep still and quiet.

"Gokuri nodded, motioning for her to follow him. "Excellent. With me, then. I have a mission for you."

He walked away and Fu followed him, the ninja giving her a wide berth before flickering and vanishing. She could hear…three of them, see one more, and smell another. The others were either better at hiding themselves or actually gone.

"Much has happened in the last two months," Gokuri told her as they walked. "The Dawn country will be sending a envoy to the Land of Iron not long from now, in an attempt to gain the Kage title for our leader.

Fu nodded. She herself had never met this mysterious leader, but if half the rumors of him were true he was a ninja of unparalleled skill – practically the second coming of the Sage.

She wasn't sure if she believed those stories, but she knew anyone able to unite Rain, Snow, Grass and Waterfall had to be both powerful and charismatic, which should mean he was plenty qualified for the title.

"Will I be…going?" She asked.

Gokuri gave her a disapproving, almost disappointed look. "No. After your last outburst we need to be able to keep an eye on you. Perhaps if you had retained control of your beast I could have allowed it, but now…" he shook his head. "Actions have consequences Fu. Remember that the next time you feel the anger rising."

_MakeHimScreamMakeHimScreamMa keHimScreamMakeHimScreamMake HimScream MakeHimScreamMakeHimScream_

"Yes, Gokuri-sensei."

They entered Waterfall's main tower, which served as the military headquarters and the meeting area of the village council. Gokuri lead her to a large, deserted room filled with maps – Fu remembered visiting once or twice when she was younger.

"With any luck," Gokuri said, "in a few short weeks the Dawn Country will have an Asakage, and all of the political power that entails. We are equal with any of the elemental nations – Snow's technology, Grass' spies, our training and Rain's territory make us a formidable threat that we intend to make good on.

"We're going to war," Fu said.

Gokuri nodded. "You're quite the clever girl, when the beast doesn't rule your thoughts. Pity that you can't be in control more often."

_KunaiToBoneMakeHimBleedKunai ToBoneMakeHimBleedKunaiToBon eMakeHimBleedKunaiToBoneMake HimBleedKunaiToBoneMakeHimBl eedKunaiToBoneMakeHimBleedKu naiToBoneMakeHimBleed_

"I'll do better, Gokuri-sensei. I promise."

Gokuri shook his head. "You'll try, child." He unrolled a large map, which detailed the border between the Dawn and Fire countries. "The Leaf has several bases along the border," he said, pointing to several highlighted areas. "A few of these are out in the open, a few hidden, and no doubt there are two or three more we don't know about. We have people on it as we speak."

He circled three of the bases. "We, the Elders, have been assigned these three bases. We will attack them as soon as the Asakage is appointed, while the rest of Akatsuki handle the rest of the bases. These attacks will flush the Leaf out of the area and allow us to take several miles of Fire Country territory."

"Why Leaf?" Fu asked. "Why even attack an elemental nation at all? Is war really necessary?"

"War is inevitable," Gokuri responded. "By striking quickly we can overrun the Leaf with minimum casualties. This is not the time of the first or second Hokages…the Leaf is not the superpower it once was. But it still holds several valuable bloodlines and clan techniques, which Akatsuki can use for itself."

"But–"

"It's really nothing you need to concern yourself with, Fu," Gokuri said. "You're a weapon, not a strategist. Leave the thinking to the council and I."

"Of…course sir."

"Good," Gokuri said with a nod. "You, and you alone, will be responsible for one of the bases. It shouldn't be too difficult a job for a ninja of your caliber. Walk in, kill everyone, and walk out. Perfectly suited for your talents."

"Yes sir."

Gokuri gave her a scrutinizing glance and sniffed, as if her agreement hadn't come quickly or confidently enough for his tastes. "Anyway. We'll be sending another Jonin along with you, to scout ahead, deal with prisoners, and most importantly, keep an eye on you."

"I understand sir."

"I really hope that you do, Fu."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

If all her years as a ninja had taught Tsunade anything, it was that teamwork was vital to any mission. And teamwork depended almost entirely on the makeup of a team. There needed to be at least some conflict of personalities, so that limits were tested and ideas could be challenged and there was no stagnation. It was the differences between the three sanin as much as the similarities that had made them so feared across the Elemental Nations.

Of course, there did have to be similarities. If two people were too diametrically opposed they would never be able to work together, and the team and the mission would suffer for it.

Tsunade had been a team leader before. She knew it would be up to her to make sure the team worked together towards a single goal. It would be up to her to iron out any differences too extreme, diffuse any tensions that got in the way of the mission. But at the same time, she wouldn't be able to always be there. As the team leader, she would have other duties, and she needed people she could trust not to explode at each other when she left them alone for a few minutes.

With any luck, she would be able to unify this (as of the moment) hypothetical team under one goal – kill Orochimaru. That shouldn't be too difficult, as the snake was known for his human experimentation, and Tsunade knew for a fact that he had hundreds of test subjects locked up, with nothing to do except dream of revenge.

The trouble, then, would be sorting through the shit and finding those with real talent. She couldn't afford to babysit – anyone she recruited would have to be able to hold his or her own. And often, it wasn't obvious who would be able to soldier on through the worst of it. Tsunade was well aware that while some ninja could look perfectly skilled and competent at first glance, they could just as easily fall apart the moment their lives were in danger.

So she would find Orochimaru's hideouts. Tsunade wasn't Jiraiya – she wasn't a spymaster, she had no list of contacts spread out across the Elemental Nations. What she did have, however, were friends. War had taken her all across the continent, and her travelling after leaving Konoha had taken her even further. And nobody did that much travelling without making a few influential friends.

Once she found the snake's hideouts she would hit them, and hit them hard. It was going to be a matter of finding the very best ninja Orochimaru's experimentation had to offer, ninja who could fulfill every requirement she asked and more – because Orochimaru was nigh un-killable usually, and Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling that he had something up his sleeve.

But before all that, she needed supplies. Weapons and scrolls and maps. There were some old Konoha bases along the Waterfall/Fire border (now the Dawn/Fire border, she supposed). One of those would have what she needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The two most powerful men in Konoha (and by extension, it could be argued, the Land of Fire) sat face to face in a sunlit office.

Hyuga Hiashi was the fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He was forty-one years old, a ninja since he was eleven, a Jonin since seventeen. A veteran of both the second and third Shinobi World Wars, he was the eighth most decorated ninja in the Leaf, behind four Hokages, two sanin and the other man in the room.

Shimura Danzo was seventy-two years old. A ninja since he was eight, a Jonin since fifteen. A veteran of all three Shinobi World Wars, a badge of honor only a handful in the world could claim, he was the only most decorated ninja in the history of the leaf who was never a Hokage (and he would often claim that the Fourth Hokage, in fact, had one fewer medal than he – Minato never actually achieved all the kills necessary for his final medal. His defeat of the Nine-Tailed Fox, while remarkable, was not a kill).

"I'm shutting down ROOT," Hiashi said.

Danzo blinked his only visible eye once. "I wasn't aware there was a ROOT to shut down," he said evenly. "To the extent of my knowledge, the program was highly controversial amongst the leaders of Leaf, and was shut down by order of the Third Hokage himself some time ago."

"I'm shutting down ROOT." Hiashi said again.

There was a long pause as Danzo waited for the Hokage to elaborate. When it became obvious that no explanation was forthcoming, he frowned. "You don't have the authority," he said finally. "The office of Hokage wields many powers. So many, in fact, that the average civilian…the average ninja may even believe that its authority is absolute. But this is not true. There are some things that the Hokage cannot control, because to control would be to associate himself with those things. And that is simply not an option." He fell silent.

"You don't respect me," Hiashi said after a moment.

Danzo's mouth quirked in a way that could've been either a smile or a pained grimace. "I had a son once. Ten years your senior. Dead now, but even still. It is difficult to see you as much more than a child given power he can barely understand, much less wield."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Hiashi said, in a tone that made it quite clear he wasn't sorry to hear that in the least. "I suggest that you quickly get over these difficulties, as I am now your superior. And as your superior, I am disbanding ROOT."

Danzo opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Hiashi held up a hand. "ROOT has grown old and outdated. While its methods may have allowed Konoha to rise to prominence, it is becoming increasingly obsolete in a rapidly changing world. Because of this, I'm merging it with a newer, more promising project. You will lead this project, but as it is not "outside my jurisdiction", so to speak, I will be overlooking you."

"You're putting me on a leash," Danzo growled. "Changing my position and then sending me away to some bullshit summit in an obsolete land so that by the time I get back and take control you'll have vetted anyone who holds me in higher regard than you."

"I'm keeping an eye on you, yes," Hiashi replied. "I'm also providing you with manpower, resources, and a way to increase your agents' effectiveness tenfold. I'm not saying you won't lose some freedoms you may have come to enjoy, but it will be a small price to pay. One you will pay gladly."

"And if I refuse?"

"You won't," Hiashi said. "Because for all your age and all your medals, you're still just a man. And I'm the Hokage."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN**

A comment pointed out to me on the last chapter that I called Sakura's chakra "light red". This needs to be explained.

This is mainly a stylistic choice, but in the Delicate Things series chakra as a whole is no longer uniformly blue – each person has a different shade. This is hinted at in the manga (Chap 91) but completely ignored in the anime. I like the idea and think it promotes chakra as a more individualistic signature. It will not affect the story in any meaningful way.

For the record, Naruto's chakra is yellow. Kyuubi chakra is red (not all tailed beasts have red chakra). Sasuke's chakra is dark blue. Cursed seal chakra is purple. Sakura's chakra is pink or light red (no relation to Kyuubi chakra).

More notes can be found on the livejournal.


	3. Chapter III: Lifelines

**Chapter III**

**Lifelines**

"_It's the things you care about that keep you sane."_

"At this rate, I don't think we're ever going to break him," Sakura said.

Jiraiya nodded slowly, spinning the stew that remained in his bowl as he thought. He had returned to camp a day ago after meeting with Kenji, a middle-aged fisherman who had reported seeing a blonde, pigtailed young woman travelling through town last week.

Upon arriving at the camp, Jiraiya had found his three students hard at work breaking down the psychological defenses of an Akatsuki Chunin. According to Sakura, they had been at it for two days already, but were no closer to getting the Chunin to talk.

"We don't have anywhere to be," Jiraiya said after a long moment. "My lead was a…dead end. So for now, I think it's worth it to spend some time here to teach you three how to carry out an interrogation."

"I thought it would be easy," Sakura admitted, shaking her head and sending a glance over towards the Chunin. He was tied to a tree, staring Sasuke full in the eyes as the Uchiha tried to pry information straight from his head with a Sharingan genjutsu. "Just slap a genjutsu on him and watch him talk. But it didn't work," Sakura continued. "And so I let Sasuke have a turn, and that didn't work either, so we beat him up a bit and tried again. Still nothing. He hasn't eaten or slept since we captured him and we've been putting him through hell but he still won't talk. It's infuriating."

"You're doing fine," Jiraiya said. "He is…was…a Grass ninja. There aren't a lot of them, so they make up for it by training them extensively in guerilla tactics and infiltration. And they aren't nice about it either. This kid's probably been going through the hell you're putting him through since he was six years old."

Sakura shivered. "That sounds horrible."

"It is," Jiraiya said with a nod. "But it works. As you're figuring out."

"How do we get to him?" Sakura asked. "You say there's going to be a war. When that starts, we're not going to have three days to dedicate to breaking a single prisoner. How do we make him tell us what he knows?"

"As I said, you've got a good start," Jiraiya said, standing. "Genjutsu, especially Sharingan genjutsu, is very effective. You've kept him from eating or sleeping, kept him disorientated with a few beatings. What kind of genjutsu have you been using, specifically?"

"Sensory deprivation," Sakura said immediately. "Mixed with some hyper-stimulation. And it's been over a week for him with all the time dilation stuff we've been throwing at him but he's not budging. He's just sort of shut down."

"You're not being subtle enough," Jiraiya said. "He's expecting the direct approach. It's exactly like you said – he's shut himself down to better ignore the pain. What surprising is that he hasn't tried suicide yet. Maybe he thinks he can still get out of all this." He fell silent for a moment, staring at the Akatsuki ninja intently before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. As long as he's alive, he's useful. You've done everything you can to stop him from killing himself."

"I disabled the suicide seal he had on his neck," Sakura said, a small note of pride worming its way into her voice. "Had it inactive in less than ten seconds, just like you said. And I've made sure he's never conscious and alone long enough to kill himself any other way."

"You've done well," Jiraiya said with a nod. "You've got the stomach for it, which is the most important part. You don't get anything done if you can't go through with it."

Sakura swallowed. "I just…" she said, eyes lingering on Sasuke. "I couldn't let them down. You down. I know there's war coming and it's…somebody else has to step up to the plate. I can't just sit back and let Sasuke do all the dirty work."

"Spoken like a true leader," Jiraiya said, ruffling Sakura's hair with a small smile. "Making sacrifices for the good of her team."

They lapsed into silence then, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Sakura was watching Sasuke, a multitude of emotions flickering across her green eyes. Jiraiya briefly considered saying something, but decided against it. The heart of a woman was a delicate thing after all. Best not to disturb it with ignorant and possible misinterpreted comments.

Instead, he went looking for Naruto.

He found the blonde not too far away, chakra swirling into a ball in the palm of his hand. Naruto slammed the Rasengan into the tree, stripping bark off and causing it to begin to crack, but still the trunk held firm – he just needed a little more power with it.

Oh well. He would get there in time.

"Naruto," Jiraiya said, sitting down on the ground near his most hyperactive protégé.

"Hey," Naruto said.

They said nothing for a few long moments.

"They're torturing him," Naruto said finally.

Jiraiya nodded.

"He was just trying to protect his friends," Naruto said. "During the fight I joked about it but…if someone had attacked…if someone had killed Sakura, I probably would've acted the same way."

"Except with more horrible orange jumpsuits and shouting, I'll bet," Jiraiya said.

Naruto snickered, but the smile and laugh quickly faded. "It's just…I understand why," he said. "But…does that mean I have to think it's right?"

"Unfortunately, the world we live in is too full of necessary or not to be concerned about right or wrong."

"The world we live in is stupid."

"You're preaching to the choir, kid. But we don't get to choose the world we're born into. We just get to live with it."

"Will it keep them safe? The torturing? Will it keep everyone safe?"

Jiraiya inclined his head a bit. "Maybe. Later down the line at least, with others. Not him. He's just…practice."

Naruto shook his head. "He's a person."

"He's an enemy," Jiraiya said softly. "The real question is, how many enemies are you willing to kill so your allies stay safe?"

Naruto frowned, and looked back at the campsite. Jiraiya followed the boy's eyes and for a second caught a flash of pink – a moment later, a startled yep rang through the air, followed by Sakura's laughter.

Naruto swallowed. "However many get in the way."

"I'm sorry," Jiraiya said. He was sorry. Naruto was 13, almost an adult, but somehow he still seemed too young to be declaring his intention to murder other kids his age, no matter how noble a purpose it might be for.

"Jiriaya-sensei?" Naruto asked after a moment.

"Hm?"

"I've been wondering…I went to the library before we left for this trip. They have this whole shelf, in the back, with the team listings, dating back to like, the fifth year of the village. I'm in there, and so is Iruka, and Kakashi and…my dad."

"Ah."

"You taught him," Naruto said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," Jiraiya said. "I…what do you want to know?"

"What was he like?"

"It's hard to describe. He was…magnetic. Electric. You'd look at him and you'd _know_ he wasn't normal, that he was something special, that he was gonna do great things one day. And he was fast…so fast, even before the Hirashin. As a Genin he was outpacing some enemy Jonin. Not outfighting them, but damn…it was close. He was one in a million."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. But he wasn't just a good ninja. He was a good kid. Kinda reserved, but a good kid. Got along well with everyone. Except Kushina, but nobody got along with Kushina. Of course, then they got married."

"Kushina…my mom."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Yeah. Personally, I could never figure out why. Your dad could've had his pick of any girl in the village and he chose her. The little girl from the exchange program But, well…I guess I've been victim to an infatuation or two myself. The fire of passion that burns away all reason…" he paused for a moment, and then grabbed a small notebook. "Oh that's a good one, I should write that down…"

"No, wait, wait, my mom. What was she like?" Naruto asked. He was sitting cross-legged in front of Jiraiya now, leaning forward and practically vibrating with anticipation.

"Kushina? You remind me of her, in a lot of ways. Always running around and shouting…pissing everyone off." Jiraiya chuckled, and Naruto threw a stick at him. "No, but seriously. She was stronger than Minato, in a funny kind of way. She kept going until her body literally gave out from under her. Minato wasn't strong like that. He was strong in a lot of ways. But not like that."

"Is that…is that why he died?"

Jiraiya swallowed once and leaned back until he was looking up at the stars. They were bright tonight. An old woman had once told him that the stars were the souls of the dead, shining forever down onto future generations. He wondered if that was true. He wondered if Minato's star was out there somewhere, even if he was supposed to be trapped in the belly of the death god. He looked back over at Naruto and couldn't believe his eyes, because for a moment he looked just like – the genin had been growing his hair out, whether for style or just because he was too lazy to cut it Jiraiya had no idea, but with his jaw length bangs framing his face he looked like a dead ringer for…

"No," Jiraiya finally said. "He died because I didn't teach him enough."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I hate debriefings," Kiba muttered, pacing around the small room that a nervous looking Chunin with too-large glasses had herded them in about ten minutes ago. "First there's the waiting, then they talk at you for a half an hour, and give you all these names and details and shit you're supposed to remember, and then they ask if you're packed and ready and if you've forgotten one little thing like a toothbrush or something they give you this look like it's the end of the fucking world or something…"

"Did you forget your toothbrush?" Shino interjected, making sure to keep his voice calm. He had been told that projecting a calm, measured demeanor would help calm others, but he was beginning to call into question the validity of whatever study had made that claim. It had certainly never worked on Kiba.

"No, I've got it, I checked," Kiba said, nodding. He stopped pacing though, and made a face, and then a moment later started digging through his pack. "Yep. Got it. Okay."

Shino nodded solemnly, and the scars on his left shoulder ached. They did that often nowadays, but it wasn't his biggest concern. That had been re-learning taijutsu to account for having only one arm.

For a moment, the scene flashed in front of him, as it had so many times in the past two months. Orochimaru's minion, the fat one, his skin grey and scaly, his hands clawed, an impossibly tight grip around Shino's wrist. Pain, pain, pain, and suddenly a burst of agony so intense it knocked him unconscious.

When he had woken up a few hours later, he was missing an arm. The damage was too extensive for them to re-attach it, and all plans for the cloning of artificial limbs had been abandoned when Orochimaru had left the village.

But it wasn't all bad. Apparently galvanized by his brush with death, Shino's Hive had been working overtime. His kikaichu were stronger, faster, and meaner than they had ever been, and that helped make up for his admittedly shoddy taijutsu.

He hid the wound beneath a large hooded cloak, to which he had added a bandanna to obscure his mouth. He liked the new ensemble. It allowed his bugs to gather beneath his clothing without giving away their position.

He was jolted out of his own private thoughts by Ino, the third member of their temporary team, finally speaking up. "But why us three? Why me, why not Hinata?"

"This mission is said to be a great honor," Shino said.

"Exactly! We're just genin, why not at least Chunin? I heard all of Team Guy got promoted recently, so-"

"Wait," Shino cut in. "Team Guy was promoted?"

Kiba and Ino nodded. "They're all Chunin now," Kiba explained. "And a couple older Genin were promoted to. It's weird. They make all this fuss out of the Chunin exam and then they go and promote a bunch of other people a few months after it's finished? What's the deal?"

"That is…troubling," Shino said. "Perhaps our situation with the newly created Dawn Country is not as stable as our parents and Jonin would like to suggest."

"You don't think…" Ino asked, trailing off as realization lit up her face. "No way."

"I feel like I'm missing something here," Kiba said, and Akamaru let out a bark of agreement. "Could we back it up a little?"

"We're going to war soon," came a voice from the doorway.

The three Genin turned in surprise. In the doorway stood Kohinata Koyaiba, the Chunin who had lead Shino and Ino on the mission where they had ended up fighting Fourteen.

"Koyaiba," Shino said, giving a quick salute. "It's good to see you again."

"You too, Shino," Koyaiba said. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with white pants, and had two kama strapped to his back. "How's the injury?"

"I'm prepared for the mission."

"I'm sure you are, or they wouldn't have assigned you to me," Koyaiba said. "Ino."

"Koyaiba," she said, nodding.

"I don't think we've really met before," Koyaiba said to Kiba. "I'm Kohinata Koyaiba. I'll be your commander for this mission. Sort of."

"Inuzuka Kiba," Kiba said with a nod. "Are you a Chunin?"

"Ye…no. I was posthumously awarded the Special Jonin rank and I don't think they've redacted it. It includes a pay raise, so I've decided not to bring it up."

"You're pretty young for a Special Jonin."

Koyaiba shrugged. "I specialize in psychology. And I had some…advantages. But that's not important." He turned back to the rest of the group. "You three have been assigned to me, and I've been assigned to Danzo. We'll be attending the Kage summit being called in the land of Iron."

"I suppose the Hokage himself will not be attending," Shino said.

"No. It's too dangerous. None of the Kage are expected to attend, not even Akatsuki's leader, who's the only reason we're attending this thing in the first place."

"So it's true? They're petitioning for a Kage position?" Ino asked. "My dad said they would never get it."

"They're petitioning for the title of Asakage, Dawn Shadow, to be officially recognized by the five elemental nations, yes," Koyaiba said. "Whether they'll get it…that's why we're going to Iron.

"You said we're going to war," Kiba said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Why bother with this summit?"

"I don't know," Koyaiba said with a shrug. "Officially, the summit should be peaceful. Go in; determine whether Dawn Country has the right to a Kage title, leave. But anyone with a working brain can see that Akatsuki's been targeting us. There's going to be a war."

"So, people get promoted," Ino said.

Koyaiba nodded. "The academy graduation is already being moved up a few months. If that doesn't make it obvious, I don't know what will."

"So why are we going to Iron?" Shino asked. "I mean us specifically. What's our purpose?"

"I have no idea," Koyaiba admitted. "Danzo will have two bodyguards with him, and us to assist in any tasks he can find for us. So be ready for anything." His gaze briefly scanned their packs. "Are you all packed?"

"I uh…might've forgotten some dog food," Kiba said, raising his hand tentatively.

Koyaiba looked around the room, and then shrugged. "Thankfully," he said, "it's not the end of the fucking world."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"It is no groundbreaking discovery to learn that the elemental nations are each named around a common theme – the name itself implies as much," Karin said, doing her best to not stumble over the words. They were familiar to her, from hours of practice and repetition, but that didn't make the pit in her stomach go away. A part of her realized how ridiculous it was – she had quite literally looked death in the face without blinking, and now she found herself frightened by a man who, while one of the wealthiest men in the world, was no more a physical threat to her than a toddler. But even that didn't make the pit go away.

She took a deep breath. "What is not as well known was how accurately each name – each element – portrays the land that bares its name. Each element reflects the identity and culture of that nation. It represents the minds, hearts, and souls of the people, and Ninja, who reside within."

She saw a few heads nod, but _his_ stayed agonizingly still, his face remaining a carefully sculpted mask of neutrality.

"Take, for example, the Land of Wind. As you all know, it is host to the Village Hidden in the Sand. After the informal adoption of the Village system, the Sand was the…the last Village to officially form. It was created not by those who shared a strong common bond, ideal, or even leader, but by stragglers. Those who had not already come together to form a Village, for whatever reason. As such, its culture can appear, to an outsider, to be thrown together. Mish-mash, if you will. It is the result of very different traditions and ideas coming together to form an at least somewhat cohesive whole. As such, the people of the Land of Wind are often very open minded and accepting of new ideas. Its Village is most renowned for its strategists and forward thinking training programs, which constantly revolutionizes itself to stay in touch with the times. And, of course, this ties back to its element, wind. Wind is constantly moving, growing, expanding. It is associated with learning, with accepting. Just as the wind carries many different particles, so does the Land of Wind."

Ah, now she had his attention. She could see something on his face, a curiosity, a glint of intrigue. Perhaps even some respect? Karin brushed those thoughts aside. She had a presentation to finish.

"The Land of Water is home to the Village Hidden in the Mist. It, like its element implies, is a Land and a Nation constantly in flux. The bloodline purges that made it famous were just one of a sweeping wave, if you'll excuse the slight pun," a pause, to let them chuckle (_he_ didn't chuckle), "of cultural change that has come to the Water in recent years. Unlike Wind, whose culture builds off itself, Water changes completely, never quite sitting still, always beneath the surface. So to speak. As with water, the Land of Water is fluid, flowing, and formless."

He was definitely interested now. Was he impressed with her knowledge of culture, or did he just want to see where she went with this? If that was the case, he would have to wait – she had a few more lands left to go.

"The Land of Earth is more solid. It was the second Land to form, after Fire, and while Fire was formed by their dedication to a single man – something I'll get to momentarily – Earth was formed by the strong bonds between several different clans who inhabited the same area. In fact, it could be said that these loosely aligned clans inspired Senju Hashirama when he created the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Like its element, the culture of Earth is strong, steady, and able to weather any storm. But it is also inflexible, and some may say archaic in a rapidly changing world."

He was leaning forward now – slightly, but it was a definite lean. Orochimaru had been right; the guy was obviously a huge history nut. He was lapping her little speech up; she shouldn't have been worried of boring him.

"The Land of Lightning," she continued, "is perhaps the most difficult to pin down. Like the Wind, it was formed from a group of very diverse clans and peoples, but unlike the Wind it found a strong leader almost immediately. He unified the clans with an iron fist, forming a highly disciplined Ninja force that is still feared today – but at the cost of their cultures, the things that made them unique. Generations living together have smoothed their differences, until now almost nothing remains. Seeking to fill this hole, they strike out at other villages, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. They are attempting to build themselves a culture from within the void they have created. While the link between lightning and this emptiness I have just described might not be readily apparent, remember that lightning most closely aligns itself with the element of sky, or void."

He nodded with a satisfied smile. He had guessed the connection long before she had spelled it out, obviously. She repressed the urge to smirk. He would be in a good mood now. Perfect.

"The Land of Fire is perhaps the easiest metaphor to see," she said. "The first Land to form, its people are known for their vigor, their passion, their drive to succeed. Rallied around a common leader, the people of Fire always seek to push forward into the future. Their element, which represents energy and passion, fits them perfectly."

She swallowed once. Almost there.

"But why tell you this? Why explain all this to you? What, exactly, is the point? It's really very simple when you get right down to it – my village, the Village Hidden in the Grass, has recently joined with the Villages Hidden in the Rain, Waterfall, and Snow to form a new village – Now known as Akatsuki, but soon to be known as the Village Hidden in the Sun. Our Land, the Land of Dawn, seeks to create its own culture. It's own identity. And if you all plan to support us in that venture, we want to make sure you know exactly what you'll be getting.

"The Land of Dawn is the land of new beginnings. Its people have, for years, suffered under the rules of those stronger than them. Waterfall has suffered under Leaf, Grass under Stone, Snow under Cloud, and Rain under Sand. Now that they are finally free, they seek to create a new Land. A Land that is by them, for them. And hopefully, for you all as well. You have all been asked to support the Land of Dawn financially, to become the noble court that supports and advices the Daimyo in the economic running of the country as a whole. I assure you – Dawn is worth the investment."

"Ah, yes," said one woman, raising her hand. "Your pitch is marvelous young lady, but truly there's only one question on any of our minds – who is to be the Daimyo?"

"Uh…" Karin froze, her eyes flicking back and forth across the room in a desperate search for something to rescue her from this particular topic. "I don't think-"

"Because if it has not been decided," the woman said, cutting right through Karin's meager attempt at a deflection, "I believe that the men and women at this table should recognize that I single-handedly-"

"Thank you, Kayame-san, that will be quite enough," he said.

He rose – a small man, eyes hidden by dark glasses. "The Leader of Akatsuki, our soon to be Asakage, has already spoken to me of the matter. _I_ will be the Daimyo."

"You?" Kayame asked, a faint tone of derision in her voice. "You're barely qualified for the position! Not a drop of royal blood in your body."

"I have money," the man said, his voice steady, calm, and somewhat nasal. "I believe that is all that matters."

"Well," Kayame said, "Perhaps to you. Perhaps, even, to this mysterious Akatsuki leader. But I know there are those of us who know that a simple merchant is not fit to lead an Elemental Nation." She turned to Karin. "If this man is to be the Daimyo, I will withdraw my support for the Land of Dawn."

"Sit down and be quiet," the man said. "You won't pull support. You need the Ninja of Akatsuki to protect you from the Aburame. The moment you distance yourself from your protection they'll descend on you for what your family did with their Kikaichu extract."

Kayame swallowed.

"You there, Karin," the man said. "Verify to those sitting here that what I'm saying is true."

"Uh, yes, of course," Karin said, nodding hurriedly. "Everyone…the Daimyo of the Land of Dawn is already decided. Gato-dono, we welcome you to take your rightful place as the leader of our new land."


	4. Chapter IV: Failure

**Chapter IV**

**Failure**

"_Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure."_

"That has got to be one of the ugliest things I've ever seen," Ino said. She was wrapped in a warm, heavy cloak to protect against the cold, and one of her hands was shading her eyes so that she could get a better look at the Land of Iron's famous Three Wolves Mountain.

"It kinda looks like a table my mom has in her bedroom," Kiba said. Ino wasn't sure whether he was agreeing with her or not.

"It's one of the great wonders of the world," Shino said, his voice its usual steady calm. "Why? I couldn't say."

"Seriously though, how does that even form?" Ino asked. She didn't know much about geography, (boring things like that had always been more Sakura's forte than her own) but she knew enough to know that a mountain looking like that was more than a little unusual.

"Some people believe that the Sage of Six Paths carved it out while he was travelling the world," Shino said. "I believe that there is a temple dedicated to him at the top."

"Ugh, please don't tell me we have to climb to the top of that thing," Ino said.

"No. The summit will be located at the base of the mountain, I believe. Unless a last moment change of location is announced, which would not be surprising," Shino said.

"Genin," Danzo said from the front of their little group. Everyone came to an immediate halt.

In Ino's mind, they made a ragtag bunch. Danzo stood at the front, his usual black and white robes swapped out for the red and white of the Land of Fire. Behind him stood his two Jonin guards – the most Ino could tell about them was that one was male and one was female. They each wore masks that covered their faces, and so much clothing that Ino couldn't even see their skin. Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and she made up the middle of the pack, while Koyaiba brought up the rear.

"Genin," Danzo said again. "We're approaching the limits of the assigned neutral ground. I want you three to scout ahead and make sure nobody tries to ambush us before we officially reach the line. Meet back here in two minutes."

"Yes sir," the three Genin chorused, and then they were moving, speeding off through the trees and snow and underbrush. Ino's eyes swept across the ground as she ran, checking for anything out of place – footprints, broken plants, scraps of fabric. She used the genjutsu dismissal technique once, and then another time just to be sure. She understood that Danzo had probably only assigned this brief scouting mission so that he could speak with the two Jonin and Koyaiba in private for a moment, but she was still going to do it _right_.

As such, she was the last to arrive – just brushing up against the two-minute mark that had been assigned to them. Danzo grunted in a way that might've been approving but was probably just a grunt, and they continued on.

"Ino," Koyaiba said from behind her. "Can you come here for a second?"

Ino twisted her head around and nodded, stopping long enough that Koyaiba could catch up and then resuming her pace. They were walking now, to make it easy for any Samurai agents to make sure they weren't hiding anything, and Ino found it a relief to be able to relax her aching muscles. The trip hadn't been too bad, but it had hardly been her idea of a good time.

"You'll be coming with me when we reach the location of the summit," Koyaiba said in a tone low enough that he couldn't be overheard by anyone who might be listening in. "Danzo-sama has instructed me to meet with the representatives from Sand."

"Why?" Ino asked, dropping her tone to match Koyaiba's. Excitement flushed through her, creeping up from her stomach as she realized that she was about to participate in an actual diplomatic mission of some kind.

"Officially, we're there to celebrate them on the appointment of a new heir to the position of Kazekage," Koyaiba told her. "Not so officially, we're calling in all the favor we earned by exposing Orochimaru to try and pressure Sand into opposing the new Asakage proposal."

"And they're sending _us?_" Ino whispered. "Isn't that a little…odd?"

"It's probably a little above our pay grade, yeah," Koyaiba admitted. "Or, your pay grade at least. But I was told that you were the top of your class during the negotiation and diplomacy portion of the academy."

Ino felt a small surge of pride. She _had_ been the top of her class, even above Sasuke. In fact, she had been the best of her class by a large margin – her closest competitor had been Hinata, who had been far too stammering and passive to really challenge Ino. But Ino still wasn't sure that qualified her for an actual mission.

She shrugged it off. Obviously, she was trusted enough for this mission to be given to her. All she had to do was not fuck it up.

"Can I tell the others, or is this hush-hush top secret?" She asked.

"You can tell them the official reason, but nothing more than that," Koyaiba said.

Ino rolled her eyes. Shino and Kiba weren't stupid (well, Shino wasn't at least). They would know that there was more to this mission than a simple meet and greet.

"I know," Koyaiba said, apparently having noticed her eye roll out of the corner of his vision. "But it's important to keep up appearances. Plausible deniability and all that. Cornerstone of diplomatic ninja work."

"Have you done anything like this before?" Ino asked.

Koyaiba shook his head and slowed his pace, falling back behind the group while Ino returned to Shino and Kiba's sides.

"What was that all about?" Kiba asked.

"I'm…going on a diplomatic mission. To the Sand," Ino explained. "Koyaiba and I are supposed to congratulate them on their new Kazekage-to-be."

"And I'm sure that's all there is to it," Shino said, his usual monotone laced with something that almost resembled sarcasm.

Kiba snickered. "So why're you _really_ going?"

"I'm not saying," Ino said, shaking her head. "I know it's stupid, but I'm not supposed to."

"Do you find it odd," Shino said after a moment, "that Danzo would send you?"

"What, do you think I can't pull it off?" Ino asked, her tone slightly offended despite the fact that she had been wondering the exact same thing not two minutes ago.

"Not really, but that's beside the point," Shino said. "If there's going to be a diplomatic assignment, we should've brought someone with diplomatic experience. In fact, it looks like this squad was constructed without a thought given to diplomacy at all. I can't speak for the two Jonin, of course, but the fact that Danzo is sending you and Koyaiba instead of them speaks volumes."

"Yeah, that's a good point," Kiba said, Akamaru nodding in agreement from within the Inuzuka's sweatshirt. "Seems kinda stupid that Danzo wouldn't bring anyone used to that kind of stuff to a summit like this."

"Danzo wasn't in charge of recruitment for this mission," Shino said, his voice dropping so low that Ino had to strain to hear it from only a foot away. "I overheard him discussing it with one of the Jonin. The Hokage handled the assignments for this."

"Oh, that's even better," Kiba said, his voice similarly hushed. "Now it's the Hokage who can't do his job right."

Ino frowned. The idea that Hiashi was incompetent didn't sit well with her. The man was many things – an asshole, a douche, a horrible father, a stick-in-the-mud – but he wasn't incompetent. Ino could remember her father complaining about how difficult it was to run a clan, but Hiashi had done it for years, and he had done it well.

She glanced over to Shino, who seemed to be having similar thoughts. "It is…quite worrying," the Aburame said. "There must be an explanation. Information we don't have. How do I know? I don't. But the only other explanation is that our Hokage is intentionally trying to cripple us."

There was a moment of silence after that. Ino began to speak, but before she got the chance they arrived at the village where the summit would be taking place.

It wasn't much to look at – except for the snow, it was very similar to the several Fire Country villages Ino had visited over the years. The architecture, of course, was different – starker, and colder, with more hard angles and less flair. Greys and whites dominated rather than reds and greens, but Ino found that the atmosphere was the same bustling friendliness you would find in Konoha.

"Ino," came Koyaiba's voice. "This way."

Nodding to Shino and Kiba, Ino disconnected herself from the group and followed Koyaiba down a relatively empty alley. "Remember, don't say anything unless spoken to first," Koyaiba said as they walked. "I'll do the talking."

Ino nodded. "Got it."

They arrived outside a small building with the blue and white flag of the Land of Wind hanging loosely above the door. Koyaiba reached out to knock, but before he could the door swung open, revealing an old woman draped in heavy clothes and scarves.

"You're early," the woman said, looking the two of them up and down.

Koyaiba bowed. "Our apologies, Chiyo-sama. We can wait, if you aren't ready to see us."

"No, no," Chiyo said, gesturing them to come in. "It's not like I have anything better to do. Here representing the Kazekage…ridiculous! When I was your age a Kage would have to have the courage to come to a Summit themselves!"

Ino and Koyaiba said nothing, but followed Chiyo through the stark hallways until they reached windowless room where two other Sand ninja sat behind a desk. One was ancient, older than even Chiyo, with thick, heavy white eyebrows. The other was younger, with red marks on the side of his face not covered by a half veil. Chiyo took her place at the end of the desk, eying Ino suspiciously.

"A Yamanka," she said finally. "Are you going to try to read my thoughts, girl?"

Ino's gaze flickered to Koyaiba, who gave her an almost imperceptible shrug. "I wouldn't dream of it," Ino replied, turning her attention back to Chiyo and putting on her best smile.

Chiyo snorted. "Of course you wouldn't."

"Chiyo-sama," Koyaiba said. "Ebizo-sama. Baki-sama. Ino and I thank you for accepting our request to meet."

The three Sand ninja nodded in unison.

"We would like to extend our congratulations to the newly-appointed Kazekage to be," Koyaiba continued. "You should be proud of how quickly the Sand has recovered from Orochimaru's deception."

"Ah," said the older man, the one Koyaiba had addressed as Ebizo. "And now we touch on the real issue."

"The Leaf _was_ responsible for revealing Orochimaru's ploy," Koyaiba said. "Without us-"

"Without you, he never would've targeted us in the first place," Baki cut in. "And Orochimaru revealed himself to the world, in a typically grandiose ploy. The Leaf did nothing."

Koyaiba looked like he wanted to object, but forced himself to stay silent at the last moment. "Of course," he said finally. "Of course. But there are still debts to be paid. Sand shinobi were responsible for deaths and property damage in an attack that violated a standing international treaty."

"We were absolved of any wrongdoings," Chiyo said, her voice quiet and steady, "by the Fifth Hokage himself. And don't try to tell me it was out of the kindness of his heart, or even because he sought leverage over us – Konoha had not the manpower to enforce the treaty and no other village was going to do it. I know that, he knows that, you know that. Hiashi granted us no favors, he took the only option available to him."

Koyaiba grit his teeth. "So you intend to sit by and allow this Asakage to take power?"

"If it comes to that," Baki said.

"Why? He already wrestled control of the Rain away from you," Koyaiba said. "A consolidated Land of Dawn would be a major threat to Wind's power."

"We believe Sand is capable of weathering the storm, so to speak," Chiyo said. "Our answer is final, and has been from the moment this summit was called. We will not oppose the will of the the rest of the Elemental Nations If this mysterious figure is chosen to become a new Kage, then so be it."

Koyaiba nodded. "It's…your decision. We understand and respect that." He stood and bowed to the three Sand ninja, then turned to Ino. "We should go."

Ino ignored him. Her eyes were firmly locked with Chiyo's, and something was beginning to dawn on her. Things were beginning to come together to form a little picture in her mind – not quite clear, not yet, but certainly not as clouded as it had been before. Conversations with her father were beginning to drift back to her, vague snippets of world events she had once deemed unimportant in the face of homework, or whether Sasuke thought she looked prettier with her hair up or down.

"A leader capable of uniting the minor villages doesn't come out of nowhere," she said, still staring Chiyo in the eyes. "He doesn't suddenly appear on the scene with no warning. There are signs."

Chiyo's head tilted the tiniest fraction of an inch to one side. Out of the corner of her eye, Ino saw Koyaiba freeze.

"So this leader, this soon to be Asakage, he has to have been noticed before. He had to have popped up on someone's radar a long time ago. He…or she…had to have a lot of power." Ino took a deep breath. "And this is just speculation, but I'm betting they didn't come from Snow or Grass. Lightning and Stone are very strong presences in those villages, and they wouldn't have allowed a potential Kage to gather this much time or traction. And if this mysterious leader had been from Waterfall, I'm guessing I would've at least heard of them."

Chiyo narrowed her eyes.

"So I'd bet you," Ino continued, ignoring her stare, "that this person, whoever they are, is from the Rain. Which means you know about them."

"The Rain Leader," Koyaiba said suddenly, realization evident in his voice. "The one that killed Hanzo."

"So this isn't just about you going along with the will of the international community," Ino said. "This is about you not wanting to oppose this figure. And if he did kill Hanzo…well I can see why, to be honest."

"You dare-" Baki growled, standing. Ino felt Koyaiba shift behind her, and suddenly the room flared with killing intent. She felt like she was going to be sick, visions of her own brutal, grisly death flashing through her mind, but she didn't let any of it show.

"Enough, Baki," Chiyo cut in, raising her hand. "Let the girl say what she wants to say." The killing intent faded, and Ino found herself able to breathe again.

"I was just…" Ino said, watching Baki sit down with a scowl still on his face. "I was just thinking. If this leader really is as dangerous as killing Hanzo would imply…this is your last chance to take him on with the advantage. If he becomes a Kage, he'll have all kinds of economic advantages he never would've had as a rogue revolutionary. The Leaf will be pulled into a war, a real war, one that could spill over into the Land of Wind. And if we lose…which we might, given how precarious our position is…well then he'll be all the stronger."

"I was right about you," Chiyo said, while Baki fumed. "Insight, for someone so young. But your reasoning holds many insubstantial conclusions."

Ino swallowed.

"It's generally not considered good form to confront your…diplomatic partners like you just did," Chiyo said. "But, that is invariably what the young will do. Throw proper form into the wind, isn't that right Ebizo?"

"Too true," Ebizo said.

"And so I'll forgive this slight breach of protocol," Chiyo said. "How generous of me, no? Off you two go now. The three of us have much to discuss."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hidaki Torune had been an Akatsuki Chunin for three weeks, and he was really beginning to enjoy it.

He was a talented ninja. Hours of practicing hand seals during his academy days had finally paid off when he realized that he could snap off two or three jutsu in the time it took for most ninja of his caliber to perform one. Match this with his larger than average (and still growing!) chakra reserves, and you had someone who was moving up in the world.

Konan herself had handpicked him to accompany her on to the summit, which was a great honor for a mere Chunin. And Hidaki had been the model subordinate – quick to follow orders and give proper respect, even to Zetsu, who had a reputation of being…strange.

Hidaki didn't mind. He had a job to do, and that job was to guard the apartment while the summit was taking place. He would've liked to attend the summit, to see the powerful ninja that had attended, but he understood that in situations like this, you needed someone to watch the apartment.

There was a knock on the door.

Hidaki frowned, because the summit wasn't supposed to be over for several more hours. Perhaps it was a clone, from Konan, carrying further instructions.

He opened the door, and to his disappointment, did not find a clone from Konan. Instead he found housekeeping – four maids with buckets and mops standing outside his door.

"Housekeeping," one of the maids, a tall, pretty woman said.

Hidaki held up one hand. "I'm not supposed to let anyone in," he said, with an easy smile. "Ninja business and all. You understand. Thanks anyway though." He began to shut the door, but it was suddenly blocked by the maid's foot.

Hidaki looked up again, and met the maid's eyes. She had such beautiful eyes, he noticed, red with tiny rings.

"It's just housekeeping," the maid said, and her voice was like a bell on a clear day. It cut through Hidaki's mind and heart and soul and he realized that it wasn't actually the maid speaking – he was realizing something, something he should've realized immediately but hadn't, for some strange reason.

"We're here to clean the apartment," the voice in his head that was the maid and yet also was not the maid said. "You're going to let us in."

Yes indeed he was. Hidaki swung the door open wide and stepped back so that the maids could enter. They did so with a quick professionalism, and immediately began covering every available surface in explosive tags. Hidaki smiled. He loved it when people did their work quickly and efficiently.

"You're going to sit down," he both heard and thought, and so he did, taking a seat on the blue futon in the middle of the room. "You will sit here until we leave." Of course he would, what else would he do? "When we do leave, we will never have been here. The room will be clean. When your superiors radio for the all clear, you will give it." Hidaki nodded. The maid's eyes really were beautiful. Soft and gentle, but also wild. Demanding. You could lose yourself in those eyes, if you weren't careful.

The maid smiles at you, a sad smile. "I'm sorry," she says softly, but for the life of him, Hidaki couldn't figure out why.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

They lost the vote, 4-1. Danzo had expected it, but it was still frustrating. To be so close to watching everything he had worked for falling apart and yet be unable to do anything was truly the worst punishment he could've imagined.

He had tried of course, but his tools were limited. Two Jonin, a Special Jonin, and three Genin were hardly an ideal team with which to sway international politics. And his other tools…were best left for another time.

He rubbed the bandages covering his right eye. He hated Hiashi, in that moment, a white-hot flare of anger and bitterness that swept away the usual tumbling cloud of his thoughts. The Third had been soft, but he had still been strong. Hiashi was hard, rigid, and yet Danzo couldn't shake the feeling that deep down, he was weak. Too weak to stop the coming daybreak.

There was a burst of static in his left ear as the radio placed their came to life. "They're approaching the apartment," Kohinata said from the other end. "They'll be there soon."

"Is everything in place?" Danzo asked the Aburame boy who was standing beside him. He got a quick nod in return. "And you can activate it on demand?" Another nod. Danzo looked out over the village skyline and gave a grunt that might've been just a grunt, but was probably approving. He loved working with Aburame.

"They're approaching the door," came Kohinata's voice again. "Shino, on my mark. Sync?"

"Sync," the Aburame replied quietly.

"Mark."

The corners of Danzo's mouth twitched as several miles away, the top floor of an apartment building vanished in a burst of fire and concrete.

"Everything looks good," Kohinata said. "I don't see any movement from the wreckage. Maybe we actually pulled this off. I'm going to get a close-ack!" And then there was only silence.

The Aburame shot Danzo a concerned look, but the older ninja simply nodded once to himself. "Gather the others and move four miles south. Kohinata and I will meet you there in exactly one hour. Sync?"

"Sync," the Aburame said, his voice confused and uncertain.

Danzo shrugged. It would have to do. "Mark." And then, with a half sigh, he dismissed himself and vanished in a puff of smoke.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba struggled against the massive claw of wood that was currently pinning him to the side of the building he had been watching the apartment from. The henge around him, disguising him as an unremarkable villager vanished, replaced by his usual outfit sans the Leaf Headband.

The black and white…plant man that the mission report had identified as Zetsu let out a surprised laugh. "Cloud? What the hell?"

Koyaiba snarled and kicked at the wooden claw. It didn't have any real effect, but Zetsu shot another tendril towards him an attempt to restrain his legs. When the tendril had almost reached him, Koyaiba twisted violently, and it instead crashing into the wall he was pinned against. The force shattered the already weakened wall, and Koyaiba leapt away before Zetsu could snare him again.

"Konan?" He could hear Zetsu say as he touched one ear with a worried look on his face. "It's alright…my clone will take care of you…it was Cloud. I have their operative. You'll get the first crack at him. Okay."

Koyaiba grabbed the two kama on his back and charged Zetsu, swinging wildly, but the Sun Ninja was unusually quick for a man with a venus flytrap surrounding him. He weaved in and out of the strikes with a grace Koyaiba hadn't expected, and delivered a powerful right hook to the jaw that sent Koyaiba sprawling. The Special Jonin ran his tongue around his mouth and was surprised to find all his teeth still rooted firmly in his gums.

Zetsu, oblivious to Koyaiba's small victory, raised a hand, and an instant later Koyaiba screamed in pain as a spike of wood sprouted from his shoulder. Zetsu made several quick hand signs, and more wood began to form around his body in the form of a coiling snake.

Koyaiba leapt out of the way of the attack just in time, but more came, and his shoulder burned with pain. He didn't dare remove the spike though, in case it did more damage coming out than it had going in. Another spike clipped his head as he tried to dodge, sending him spinning, and he glanced over to see Zetsu forming more hand signs at a rapid pace.

Before he could complete the jutsu however, he was hit with a powerful surge of lightning from above. He howled as the lightning chakra overloaded the radio in his ear and destroyed it, enveloping the left side of his face in a miniature explosion, and collapsed to the ground.

Danzo landed between Koyaiba and Zetsu, a small tanto clenched in his hand. He strode towards Zetsu purposefully, without ceremony, and rolled the plant man over with his foot.

Zetsu was still conscious, but only barely. Koyaiba struggled towards the two of them, yanking the wooden spike out of his shoulder, but he was only able to catch the tail end of their exchange.

"Tell your former leader," Danzo growled, "that I say hello." And then he shoved the Tanto into Zetsu's head.

Koyaiba pushed himself shakily to his feet, and Danzo slipped a shoulder under his arm. "Don't slow us down," he said simply, before the both of them vanished in a cooperative shunshin.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Boar Squad, this is Eagle Squad, do you copy? Over."

"Eagle Squad, this is Boar Squad, reading you loud and clear. Over."

"Boar Squad, this is Eagle Squad, we're experiencing a small disturbance in our sector. Over."

"Eagle Squad, this is Boar Squad, which sector is that again? Over."

"Boar Squad, this is Eagle Squad. Sector 4-5…no, wait, sector 4-9. Over."

"Eagle Squad, this is Tiger Squad, we're covering sector 4-9, are you out of position? Over."

"Hey, Tiger Squad, this is Eagle Squad, fuck you. Over."

"Fuck you too Eagle Squad, get out of our fucking sector. Over."

"Naruto! Tell your clones to stop clogging up the radio with this useless bullshit!" For several long seconds, there was no response. Finally, tentatively, Naruto's voice came over the radio again.

"Command, are you done talking? Over."

"Yes I'm done talking!" Sakura shouted. Sasuke nearly ripped a fistful of hair out in a desperate scramble to turn the radio volume down.

"Command, we don't know if you're done talking because you haven't said over-"

"Over! Over! Over!"

"Thank you Command. Tiger Squad, Eagle Squad, this is Toad Squad, you guys need to shut up and do you jobs."

"Toad Squad, this is Rhino Squad, are we doing well sir? Over."

"Rhino Squad, this is Toad Squad, you're doing very well, keep up the good work. Over."

"Dumbasses, Sakura," Sasuke said suddenly, "I think I see them."

The Uchiha stared down at the ground from his vantage point in the bell tower, peeking through his binoculars to make sure he was getting this right. There was the scientist – he matched the picture they had been given by Jiraiya via messenger bird.

"Hawk Squad, this is Toad Squad, are you sure? Over."

"I'm fucking sure," Sasuke said, grinding his teeth together. "He's moving through the marketplace. Got two people shadowing him. I don't think they know we're here, but I can't be sure. This could be a trap."

"Can you describe the men?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke took a long, hard look at them, Sharingan active to cut through any concealing genjutsu that might've been covering them. "One's chakra system is…abnormal," he said. "This is going to sound crazy, but I think he has five hearts."

"What?" Sakura asked.

"How is that possible?" Came a voice that was either Naruto or one of the dozens of clones he had position strategically around the town.

"I don't know. They're both wearing heavy black cloaks, but I can see their chakra systems, faintly. One has a really weird one, like he's got five hearts."

"Sakura?" Naruto asked. "Does that change anything?"

"I…no," Sakura said. "There's nothing in the bingo book about a man with five hearts, so while it's unusual, it's nothing major enough to change our entire game plan. Naruto, are your clones in the croud?"

"They're henged and moving towards Sasuke's sector."

"Good. I'm changing position as well. Sasuke?"

"Moving." He leapt down the side of the building facing away from the scientist and the two men following him, putting up a henge before blending seamlessly into the crowd. He could see the scientist, moving nervously through the crowd, occasionally jostling random people as he made his way closer to the town gates.

It would be easy then.

"Okay, I have visual on you," came Sakura's voice in his ear. "Naruto, are you in position behind them?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Sasuke-"

"I've got it."

"Good. On my mark. Sync?"

"Sync," Sasuke said.

"Sync," came the voices of multiple Narutos.

"Mark."

There was an explosion off further down the street, and time seemed to slow down. Sasuke moved forward, the scientist right in front of him, his hand tightening around a kunai. He lunched, swinging his arm up in a quick, tight arc, preparing to slice through the scientist's neck with little effort.

It didn't happen. His arm met resistance halfway through and ground to an immediate halt. Sasuke looked up, eyes widening in surprise, and saw the cloaked man, the beating of five hears clearly visible at such close range.

"Holy shit," Sasuke whispered. He hadn't even _seen _movement.

He felt himself get hit, and then he was flying backwards through the air, entire body exploding in pain. "Sasuke!" Shouted half a dozen voices in his ear, and then suddenly the entire street just…detonated.

"Wind Release: Four Part Wind Cannon Jutsu!"

Dozens of balls of tightly compressed air flew out of the mouths of half a dozen Narutos and shook the street below Sasuke's feet as he skidded to a landing. "Sakura!" He shouted, holding his stomach and grimacing. "Naruto can't hold them off forever!"

Or, apparently, even a few seconds. A black tentacle shot from the arm of the man with five hearts, wrapping around a Naruto's waist and bashing him brutally against the sidewalk. Naruto burst into a cloud of smoke.

"We have to kill that scientist!" Sakura shouted, and Sasuke saw a flash of pink diving down into what had formerly been a road. "I'm going at him!"

"Sakura, wait!" Sasuke shouted, but it was too late. More black tentacles, swarming everywhere, filling the battlefield. Sakura chopped through a few of them, the katana in her hands blurring as she fought off the attacks, but there were too many and they were too fast. A tentacle blindsided her, and she fell to the ground, bleeding heavily.

Sasuke charged. Sakura was down but not out and rolled away from more attacks as Sasuke threw himself into the fray, shattering tentacles with kicks and punches and knifing through a few of them with a well placed kunai. On the rooftops, shadow clones were being murdered by a massive, three bladed scythe amongst mad laughter.

Sasuke saw the scientist cowering behind the source of the tentacles – Five-Heart. The mountain of a man was glaring at them with obvious hatred and disdain as his tentacles gave them hell.

Sasuke roared and bounded through a particularly large cluster, trying to dodge around Five-Heart and attack the scientist behind him – no dice. A massive hand swatted him out of the way, and Sasuke felt a tentacle wrap around his wrist, impossibly strong. It threw him across the street until he slammed into a wall, pain simply coming into existence instantaneously where there had previously been none.

Spots flashed in front of his vision and suddenly the ground bucked beneath him, the earth splitting and shifting in a way too unnatural to be anything but ninjutsu.

"Substitution jutsu!"

And then he was on the side of a building, watching a flagpole be crushed to a fine powder by the rock beneath him. Sakura was still going, a whirling dervish of steel and flesh, but she wasn't getting any closer to the scientist and she wouldn't be able to dodge the ninjutsu forever.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called out. "I need you to hit the street with your wind jutsu again!"

"I'm! Kind of! Busy!" Naruto shouted, as he ducked under a swing of the massive scythe. "I can't get away from this fucker!"

Sasuke worked to stifle a frustrated scream and only half succeeded. He glanced up to see Naruto attempt to make several clones to aid in his escape, but the cloaked man managed to cut through them all with a single swing of his scythe, before they were really truly formed.

"You're the worst person!" Naruto shouted. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

Sasuke's gaze flickered back and forth between Sakura, who was battling with a stone golem, and Naruto, who was launching an ineffectual attack against the scythe man. He grimaced and leapt onto the rooftop, landing on the shaft of the cloaked man's scythe.

"What the fuck?" The man growled, and Sasuke's feet blazed with chakra as he anchored himself to the scythe, and with a single, powerful motion he twisted his legs and sent the scythe flying out of the cloaked man's hands and into a random alleyway.

"You punk-ass little fucker!" The man roared. Sasuke landed deftly on the rooftop next to Naruto.

"OH YEAH!" Naruto shouted, and there was a burst of smoke.

"OH YEAH!" A few dozen Naruto shouted, and suddenly there was a wall of bright orange in the cloaked man's face.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, running to the edge of the rooftop. Sakura had destroyed the stone golem but lost her katana in the process, and the limited reach of her kunai meant that she was in more trouble than ever from Five-hearts' tentacles. She was putting up a fight though, black blood and dirt flying around her like some kind of pink haired goddess of war and the death of probably not-living tentacles.

"Wind Release!" Came Naruto's high pitched scream, and Sasuke looked back down at Sakura.

"Sakura!" He shouted.

"Four Part Wind Cannon Jutsu!"

Sakura vanished in bust of smoke, and Sasuke pressed his hands together. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Fire mixed with wind, chakra with chakra, and the street beneath them became flame. Sasuke stumbled back, the heat threatening to burn him even from his vantage point.

"Oh man, we _so _got him," Naruto said. "Go team Uzuchiha!"

"Never say that again," Sasuke said. He threw a glance behind him and could see the other cloaked man dashing off in the vague direction of his scythe, pursued by several Naruto clones. "Come on, we've got to hurry. Before he comes back."

They leapt off the building and into the street below, which was a solid ten degrees hotter. There was still too much dust to see anything clearly, but it began to fade and Sasuke could see…

"How on Earth…" he whispered to himself.

Five-Hearts was unharmed, his hands clenched together, solid and unmoving, like a rock. The tentacles were also line stone, but before transitioning they had managed to form a shield around the scientist, who was shivering and crying and very much alive.

"We have to run," Sasuke said.

"But-" Naruto protested. Sasuke shook his head.

"We just hit him with everything we had and he hasn't got a scratch." The tentacles had begun moving again, slithering across the ground, and he could see Five-Hearts' eyes, burning with pale, cold fire. Sasuke wasn't dumb enough to try genjutsu. Sasuke no doubt would've, and it obviously hadn't worked. "Sakura?" He asked the empty.

"You're right. I'm here," she said, appearing behind them. "I planted some tags, let's hope it slows them down."

"We can't just run!" Naruto said, but Sasuke grabbed the back of his collar and started dragging him along. "Let go of me, idiot!" He shouted. "Come on, we can fight them!"

They didn't listen. They just ran, the sound of their feet against the dirt drowning out the frenzied beating of their hearts.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Fu walked through the halls of the Leaf base, her ears twitching.

Tiny sounds assaulted her from all around – animals and insects scurrying back and forth, the wind whistling past the thin stone walls, the careful breathing of her Jonin caretaker, several feet behind her – but nothing that would give the hint towards any enemies. That worried her.

She pressed a hand against the wall and paused, closing her eyes, shutting off her senses one by one until only touch remained. She focused on it to the exclusion of all else, until she could feel the tiniest tremors, the smallest touch against the wall.

She waited patiently, and then she felt it. "They know we're here," she said, eyes snapping open, senses returning to her in a rush of scent and sound and color.

"That's impossible," the Jonin said. "I disabled the alarms."

"Well," she growled, "obviously, you fucked up, idiot." She took a deep breath, trying to reign in the flare of anger, but her "friend" stayed curiously silent. Perhaps he could taste the upcoming violence, and was satisfied with the prospect of bloodshed. "They'll be coming soon," she sad, continuing down the hall. "Probably setting traps. This place is too flimsy to support a full out seal defense system, but they've probably got some nasty traps. Stay out of my way and hopefully you won't end up dead."

She heard the Jonin swallow. She ignored it. She could hear something, the lightest hiss , and –

Explosion. Thirty degrees to the right. Rubble. Fire. Force. Thrown backward. Pain. Pain. Pain. Blood. Hurt. Not too badly. Smoke. Figures. Figures in the smoke. Pain. Counter. Rage. Blood. Kick. Dodge. Roll. Take a hit. Precise, but not strong. Still staggering. Follow up. Block. Straight up, with forearms. Not strong enough to require deflection. Retaliate. Success! Bones crunched beneath her fist.

She landed a kick on the side of her attacker's head, sending him (because it is a him, she could see clearly now that the smoke and dust had faded) flying down the hallway. Blood pounded around the edge of her vision as she sped forward, catching him in midair and slamming him up against the wall, hand around his throat.

He was young-ish. Older than she was, but still young. Dark, circular glasses covered his eyes, and a dark blue bandanna with the Leaf Symbol on the plate in front covered short, black hair.

"Pray to your gods," she breathed into his face. In response, he stuck two kunai in her stomach.

She screamed in pain but only tightened her grip around his neck, so he pushed the kunai in deeper. She was forced to finally let go, her "friends" whispers crashing against the walls of her mind like waves of the ocean.

"Tsubaki, Rika," Glasses said, drawing several Shuriken from his pouch. "I need you to get out of here."

Behind him, two figures flickered into sight and solidified. One was tall, pale, and slightly mousy looking, with blonde hair, and the other was short and tan, red hair framing a slightly tomboyish face. "Fuck that!" The redhead said. "Look, she's hurt, and it's just her!"

Fu _kill_ growled. Where the _kill _fuck had the Jonin _kill _gone? Had he run _kill_ away? Was he so _kill_ incompetent that the initial surprise _kill _attack had managed _kill _to take him down?

"She's only temporarily wounded," Glasses replied. "In a minute she's going to recover and kill everyone in the room."

_Yes_ _watch them bleed and scream mercy._

Teal chakra, impossibly bright and saturated, sparked around her like lightning. With a bestial growl, she pulled the kunai from her stomach, the skin cold as it began knitting itself together.

_Cut them. Cut them. Cut them. Cut them. Cut them. Cut them. Cut them._

"Go!" Glasses shouted, charging forward to meet her. Steel met steel and chakra met flesh as she attempted to shove him violently out of the way. He anchored himself to the ground with chakra and responded with a flurry of attacks that failed to bother her, despite her crimson blood arcing through the air.

She hit him again, hard, and he spat blood at her. She roared in fury and head-butted him, sending him stumbling back, but he recovered quickly.

"This," he said through clenched teeth, "is so Naruto can become Hokage." He slashed her once across the stomach, kunai biting deep into the skin and muscles. She hit him again but he seemed unfazed. "This," he said again, "is so Konohamaru can challenge him, and win." Another slash, this one across the chest. She hit him again and again and again, and by all accounts he should've been dead, but somehow he found the strength in his broken body to stand. "This!" He shouted, hacking away at her, "is for Guy! And for Genma!" More slashes, and some of them were beginning to hurt. "Udon! Moegi! Kakashi, Rin, Asuma, Kurenai! The Third! The Fourth! The-"

Fu put her fist through his chest, and he crumpled.

She pulled her arm free of his lifeless corpse and watched it flop to the floor. Shuddering in pain, she collapsed to one knee. "Mother…fucker…" she growled to herself, her vision flashing in and out. "People need to learn…how to die properly."

"I agree," came the voice from above her.

Fu looked up, ready to lunge, but she stopped. The woman in front of her wore no Leaf headband. Her long blond hair was pulled into two ponytails, and Fu could smell the blood of her Jonin teammate on her fists.

"Waterfall, huh?" The woman asked. "Or is it Dawn now? Didn't expect you to be here so soon." She shrugged. "Probably should've though."

Teal chakra flowed around Fu, solidifying into the all too familiar chakra cloak, and she tensed her legs to charge.

"Here," the woman said, removing something from her pocket. "Catch." She tossed something in Fu's direction, which the Junchurriki caught on instinct. A pendant? What was-

Blue light was the last thing she saw before she passed into unconsciousness.


End file.
